Love For the Akatsuki
by Hazel Roses
Summary: Letting her guard down due to her feelings for Sasuke, Sakura is trapped in Genjutsu and taken to the Akatsuki hideout to lure Naruto into their trap. She awakes to find herself face to face with the man she hates more than anyone: Itachi Uchiha. As the days go by, Sakura finds her feelings are becoming confused about him. Will they stand in the way when she's able to escape?
1. Do You Love Me?

The young, pink-haired kunoichi wanted answers. How can an older brother put his younger sibling through the horrors of seeing his entire village and his parents slaughtered? Why would he stoop so low as to show him exactly how they died? The sixteen year old couldn't understand why and she pondered on it as she sat in the training grounds Team Seven once shared when they were kids. She could still remember how The Uchiha she had a crush on and the Kyuubi Jinchuriki Naruto would constantly argue, but it was understood that they were extremely close.

Sakura longed for that closeness with the Sasuke, but he had always sent her away. No matter what she said to him, he still didn't care for her what so ever. If she died in front of him, she didn't think it would make much of a difference. He would probably just step over her corpse and keep walking, determined to let nothing stop him from his mission. The void that she felt in her heart was nearly crushing and had eaten away at her ever since Sasuke left to the point where there was almost nothing. Her body often went numb when thoughts of Sasuke crossed her mind, bringing broken tears to her viridian orbs.

So why was she sitting here thinking about him for the millionth time since he left? Better yet, why was she angry with Itachi? It was simple: Sakura felt it was that murderer's fault that Sasuke couldn't care for anyone. She wanted an explanation; she wanted to know how he could annihilate his entire clan and leave his little brother as if he never had one. Sakura's whole being went out to Sasuke for what he had been through. She didn't know if she could handle being in that situation and not taking her own life so she saw him as strong. He had to be in order to survive something that terrible.

Sakura exhaled and brought her knees to her chest, leaning her back against the hard wood of the tree behind her. They had failed in trying to bring Sasuke back and now were back to square one on his whereabouts. All they knew was that he was still with the former Sanin, Orochimaru, and it was nearing the time for him to change bodies. As for the band of rogue ninjas known as the Akatsuki, they were once again under the radar after the rondevu with Sasori, the Human Puppet Master. Sakura destroyed that twisted being with the help of his grandmother, Lady Chiyo, who in tern gave her life to help save the Kazekage Gaara. She knew from experience that the whole Akatsuki was a band of evil people so it made sense that Itachi was part of it. Even that blonde guy Deidara was delusional by thinking that explosions were art. She remembered hearing him and Sasori argue about their deranged ways of art while Deidara sat on top of Gaara's corpse.

Sakura understood that if she did come in contact Itachi, she could possibly be in grave danger. From what he had done in his past, she was sure he wasn't the type to be compassionate, but that didn't stop the anger from welling in her heart. Before the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke was nice; he smiled and laughed, but afterwards he was a completely different person.

"This is all your fault," she said bitterly as the wind tousled her rosette locks. "I hate you Itachi Uchiha."

"I'll never forgive him either."

Sakura turned to see Naruto looking gravely at her. He moved next to her and sat down, his royal blue eyes gazing at her. They sat in silence for a moment, just letting the sun's warmth embrace them although they were under the cool shade of a large oak tree. The different sounds the forest was emitting surrounded them; the songs of the insects were calming to listen to as turmoil ravished the two young minds.

"Listen Sakura," he said seriously, placing his hands behind his yellow spikes. "I made you a promise to bring Sasuke back and I'm going to keep that promise."

His words were soothing, but empty. There was no telling how strong Sasuke truly was and it was clear he held no attachment to them. Naruto's emotions had gotten the better of him and he all had given up, ready to let his former friend strike the final blow. It was clear when he disappeared with Orochimaru and Kabuto that Sasuke didn't want to come back. Sakura was wondering why they even tried. Sasuke's heart was too hardened to change now...

"Sometimes this seems so pointless you know," Sakura said quietly, fingers entwining with the soft grass next to her. "Why do we chase after Sasuke when he doesn't even care about us Naruto?"

He jumped to his feet in anger and glared at her. "Because he's our friend Sakura! Don't tell me you've forgotten that or something! No matter what we're going to bring Sasuke back!"

"How Naruto?" she asked completely defeated. "He's always been stronger than you and he's way more powerful now."

Naruto reached down and grasped her by her shirt. He hauled her up and looked at her. "Since when were you the type to give up? No matter how bad the situation looks, we're going to get him back! Don't you dare quit on me now Sakura! You're the one who was there for me when I wanted to give up and for your information, I am not _weaker_ than Sasuke!"

Sakura's emerald eyes locked with his raging azul ones. She knew he was right. She was the one telling him that they would work together to bring back Sasuke and it was her words that helped stopped his tears. They couldn't give up now just because things looked bleak. Like Naruto said, no matter what they were going to bring Sasuke home. They would drag him back to the Leave Village kicking and screaming if they had to.

"Thank you Naruto," she said smiling at the Jinchuriki. She raised her fist and smashed it against his face, sending him flying into a nearby tree and it shattered from the speed he was sent catapulting into it. "You grab me like that again and I won't be so nice next time."

Naruto chuckled as he held his bruising cheek. "Now that's the Sakura I know."

Sakura smiled; leave it to Naruto to make anyone feel better. He knew just what to say to make someone hope again. She truly believed that he would make a great Hokage someday and that was something she looked forward to seeing.

"Let's go get some Ichiraku ramen!" he said raising a fist into the air and smiling widely at her.

Sakura stalked over to him. "You're so annoying Naruto!" She dropped to one kneeand placed a hand over his cheek. Her palm began to glow as she healed the injury to his face. Standing to her feet, Sakura turned and walked away. "You're paying."

"What?" the Jinchuriki whined as he scrambled to his feet. "Come on can't we split the bill?"

* * *

Sakura headed home after spending the afternoon with Naruto. Once she was inside, taking a shower sounded more tantalizing than going to a weekend resort. Watching all the hardships of her life swirl down the drain in soapy bubbles would be enough to help soothe away her aches that were on the outside and [numb the hurt on the inside. After gathering a towel and something to sleep in, Sakura feet padded softly over the wood floor to the bathroom and once inside, she placed her pajamas and towel on the counter. Stripping of out her clothes, she turned on the water. As she lathered her cherry blossom colored hair with shampoo, she felt the heavy burden on her heart lifted. Naruto had given her new hope for bringing back their friend; they refused to fail this time.

Sakura sighed as the annoying tears began to rise once more. "I miss you so much Sasuke."

That was saying it lightly. Everyday her heart would beat for him; his name was etched into her very being. He was her first and only love and she believed that she couldn't feel this much emotion for another person. She desperately wanted him to feel the same way for her. He didn't even have to love her, just show her some sign that he cared even if it was as a friend. That in itself would be enough...

To make her more aware of what she couldn't have, Sasuke had grown even more attractive over the two years he was absent. His charcoal hair was longer, he was a lot taller, and the look on his face proved how dark he had become. As she stood in front of him with Naruto and Sai, he showed no emotion over seeing them again. That was proven by how easily he was going to end Naruto's life. She couldn't understand why he would want to kill the person that treated him more like a brother that Itachi ever did. Then there was a cold aura that seemed to radiate from him. It was like she was staring the undertaker in the face and she couldn't help the chill that ran up her spine the longer she looked into those unforgiving dark orbs.

Sakura rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and began to wash her body, letting the suds soothe away all her distress. The young girl sighed in content as the warm water massaged her body into losing its tense form while listening to the gentle patter of droplets against the porcelain tub. When she was finished showering, she stepped out onto the mat and dried herself. She then toweled her hair and put on her night clothes. Heading toward her room, Sakura shivered at the cool air when she exited the bathroom and hurried to crawl into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. Green eyes stared at the full moon for a while before a sigh escaped Sakura's lips and her thoughts drifted off to Sasuke. She wondered what he was doing and if he ever thought about his old friends. He was certainly on their mind.

The medical ninja closed her beryl orbs and tried to sleep. She might have a mission tomorrow so it would be good to be rested. Sighing once more, Sakura dozed off for what could have only been a moment.

"Sakura."

She woke up with a start, sitting up and placing her face in her hands. This wasn't the first time that she dreamed of Sasuke. It pained her to know they were only dreams and that when she woke up, he was far away. The voice she heard sounded so realistic it was incredible.

"Sakura."

She heard his voice again, but she was awake. The confused girl looked around the room and when her gaze landed near the door, her heart felt like it stopped beating. "Sa-Sasuke?"

"Yes," he said as he stepped into the moonlight.

Her breath caught, it was _him_. Sasuke was standing there in her room, ebony eyes locked on her. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't need a reason to come," the youngest Uchiha said bluntly as he stepped forward," but I came to see you."

Every nerve in her body was shooting off electricity. Did he just say he came to see...her? Why would he do that? He didn't even seem to notice her when they saw each other last time so what's with the sudden change of heart? How did he get back to the Leaf Village so quickly and how was he able to get in the village so easily? Something didn't sit right with Sakura.

"Sasuke," Sakura said as she looked at her hands. "You've never cared about me so don't pretend like you do now. What do you want?"

"Don't make me repeat myself," he said as he grasped her chin gently. Her eyes rose up to meet his. "Leave with me. I refuse to go without you."

Here was her perfect romance story where the two lovers ran away together, but she and Sasuke were not lovers. It was only one sided. Sakura attempted to punch him, but he grasped her arm.

"Don't play with me Sasuke!" she shouted. "You disappear for years and the next time I see you, you nearly kill Naruto. Now you're asking me to leave with you? That makes no sense!" She turned away from him. "Just go."

"You're still just as annoying as you were before," Sasuke murmured as he sat down on the bed. "I thought you and Naruto wanted to bring me back to the Leaf Village."

Sakura's eyes shot open at the realization that he was right. Sasuke was sitting right here had she was trying to send him away. Well he was telling her to leave with him so that didn't count. Her thoughts were churning fiercely in her mind and once again Sakura had no idea what she wanted to do. She wanted to make him stay, but if he wouldn't...she honestly wanted to leave with him. It would taste a lie to say she didn't. Sakura exhaled and looked up at the love of her life. "Sasuke I-"

Her voice was cut off when Sasuke's mouth clamped over hers. Her eyes widened in surprise and her heart pumped harder. Sasuke was _kissing_ her! This was the moment she had only dreamed of her entire life! She always promised herself that Sasuke would be her first for everything and her first kiss could now be crossed off the list. Every memory they had as children came rushing back in a whirlwind of emotions. She felt happiness, sadness...loneliness, but it slowly faded the longer his lips remained on hers.

Sasuke pulled away from her. "Sakura," he said huskily. "I'm going to take you with me."

Right at that moment, she was sure she would have said yes to flying to the moon if he asked her. Sakura ignored his words and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sasuke's hand grasped her pink hair as he attacked her mouth once more. Their kiss was turning more and more passionate and Sakura found herself wanting to explore his body. His shirt was open and exposed his chest so timid fingers roamed underneath the material and over his strong shoulders.

His free hand reached up and began stroking her arm. Sakura felt adrenaline rush through her body at the simple touch and her heartbeat tripled when his nimble fingers slide down to grasp her hip. Sasuke pressed his thumb into the spot next to hip and Sakura felt another spark rush through her. She let out a gentle moan into his mouth, enjoying the foreign feeling of his fingers touching where no one ever had before. Sasuke moved over her and pushed her shoulders against the soft sheets of her bed, leaning down to lick the hollow of her throat. She gasped again and felt a sensation in her lower belly.

Sasuke untied the rope around his waist and the his kimono pool to the floor, leaving him in his violet pants. After removing his sandals, pulling the covers back, and getting underneath them with Sakura, the Sharingan user situated himself between her thighs. He kissed her mouth once more and continued his assault on her neck while massaging those spots next to her hips. She arched off the bed into his touch.

Sasuke," she called hoarsely as she fell back, her hair spreading around her head like a rosy fan.

"What is it Sakura?" he asked, running his tongue over her collar bone.

She gripped his hair tightly. "Never leave me again."

"I won't," he whispered as his hot mouth found the underside of her jaw.

She never had sex before or even done something like this, but she always wanted her first time to be with Sasuke. She hoped that she would be his first also, but it seemed like he was very skilled so far. Maybe it was just instinct that drove him on. There was something a little strange through. The things he said didn't really match his usual speech. It was too...nice for him no matter if he realized he cared or not.

All thoughts were cut off when Sasuke flattened his body against hers, causing her to blush at the intimate position. She didn't know that part of a man's body would be that hard. Well she had seen it like that sometimes at the hospital because the guys got just a little too excited when she was patching them up, but she never exactly touched one before. Sakura was a little nervous, but she wasn't going to back down now. Sitting up and moving shyly over his shoulder, Sakura licked the curse mark. Sasuke threw his head back, and bit his lip.

"Do it again," he ordered quietly as his hand gripped her sides tightly.

She did and he moaned softly. That sound sent heat flushing through her body more intensely than before. She continued to run her tongue over the mark. His breath was coming shorter now. Sasuke reached for her shorts and underwear, but Sakura stopped him.

The young girl looked away, realizing she wasn't as ready as she thought she was. "I don't think I can do this."

Sasuke kissed her temple. "That's fine. I won't touch anything you don't want me to."

She smiled at those words even though there was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. Sakura pushed it away when her long time crush lifted her shirt to expose her stomach.

Sakura blushed as he studied her through his ebony orbs She hoped he liked her body from what he could see of it. She never really paid attention to it before when Sasuke left, but now she was dangerously aware of the flaws she felt she had.

Sasuke traced his finger over a dark scar on her side; so he did notice it... Sakura wasn't sure what would happen next, but was surprised when Sasuke leaned down and grazed his teeth over it. She jumped slightly at the sensation it caused. He smirked at her and moved back some so when he lowered himself again, his face was above her belly button.

Sakura sat up. "Sasuke what are you...ah!"

His tongue began the gentle dance of sliding across her stomach, on hand softly grazing the tips of his fingers over her. It didn't exactly turn her on, it kind of tickled, but because it was Sasuke, her body still heated itself further.

Sakura ran her nails down his back and the Uchiha situated himself more firmly against her lower half. She was amazed at how well their bodies fit together. It was like they were two puzzle pieces that were destined to fit together.

Feeling a little more comfortable, Sakura raised Sasuke's head and said, "I think I want to try it."

"It will hurt at first," he said honestly.

"I know," she responded timidly. "I can handle it."

Sasuke nodded and began to slide her shorts down her legs.

* * *

"I think you can undo the genjutsu now Itachi," the mist nin said as they arrived in front of their hide out, shark-like grin on his face. "You're being mean by doing that to the poor girl."

Itachi looked down at the female in his arms. Her eyes were open and she had a blank expression on her smooth face. He inwardly scoffed at her. He thought she would have been able to figure out that it wasn't really Sasuke, but her love for his little brother clouded her perception. In fact, he was sure that she _knew_ it was genjutsu, but accepted that fact, ignoring all the signs of her being trapped in an illusion. Itachi believed it was nice of him to give her that little vision since that was all she was ever going to receive from Sasuke. His brother had a mission and that was to destroy him.

"I'll release it once she is inside and restrained," the traitor Uchiha said as he entered the Akatsuki hideout. "You are forgetting that she possesses great strength."

"It's nothing we can't handle," Kisame responded as he followed.

"That is true," Itachi said as he walked down the dark corridors, "but there is no need in having her killed just yet. That would defeat the purpose."

The blue Mist nin moved in front of his partner and opened one of the doors to a room. Itachi moved inside and there was what looked like a prison cell in front of him. Silver bars gleamed in the light as Itachi glided into the cell and laid her on the bed. After that he exited and locked the door of the prison behind him.

"Won't she be able to smash out of that?" Kisame questioned.

"Not likely," Itachi answered. "This cell drains a person of their chakra. She'll be too weak to break free and even if she did, she would have to face the Akatsuki."

"Yeah," Kisame responded as he shouldered his large sword, Samehada. "So you believe this will work?"

"Yes," Itachi said, his crimson gaze gliding over her form. "The Jinchuriki is sure to come looking for her and we aren't trying to keep him away. Once he comes running, we'll have him right in our grasp."


	2. Why Am I Here?

**Thank you charmed, Angel Davis, saiyaka uchiha, and wingchan7 for reviewing!**

* * *

Itachi released the genjutsu he had placed on Sakura once he had her situated in her cell. She blinked for a moment and looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. "Where am I?"

Moving to the bars of her cell, Sakura studied the dark area. It looked much like a single prison room with its grey walls and bland appearance. Nothing else was in there except for this cell. She then looked at the iron bars and smiled at the flimsy things, chuckling quietly to herself. Did the person who put her in here think that this could hold her? Sure she felt a little strange, but she could still break these without a problem. Sakura was known for her incredible strength and she wasn't afraid to use it under any circumstances. Punching the bar, Sakura was confused when they didn't give away an inch. She was more surprised at the fact that her hand was hurting from the blow; hurting as if she were a civilian who just punched a brick wall. The mystified girl shook her hand slightly and then held it to her chest with the other, wincing at the sharp pain that laced from her sore knuckles up to her wrist.

"What the..." Sakura questioned as pink eyebrows arched in misunderstanding. "What is this?"

She was just in bed with Sasuke and now she was here? Sakura thought for a moment and placed her face in her hands at the realization. No, not in realization, but more of confirmation. The kunoichi had a thought in the back of her mind that the whole thing had been nothing but a trick, but she ignored it just because it was an illusion concerning Sasuke. When had she become that pathetic? Now, she was trapped in a cell by whoever her captor was and she had none of her strength. Sakura grasped the bars and lowered her head, pink locks covering her lowered eyes. "I'm such an idiot. That was genjutsu."

"Yes it was."

The pink-haired girl turned to see where the voice had come from. Sakura had been too busy searching her cell to notice the shadow in the corner of the room. More bewilderment set in and her eyes widened. Was she having another genjutsu induced illusion? She swore that he was standing before her yet again. "Sasuke?"

Wait, no it wasn't Sasuke. This man was slightly taller and he was wearing the trademark black Akatsuki robe with crimson clouds on it. His hair wasn't spiked nor was it as dark as Sasuke's. Even his skin was different, it wasn't as pale. There was another thing that Sakura was overlooking as well: they boy she was in love with was tagging along with that snake Orochimaru. She had to remember that next time he magically appeared before her. Sakura felt like such an idiot for allowing her emotions and sad little wishes to cloud her judgment. She knew something was a little off, but in her heart she didn't care that it was all an illusion. It was vivid enough to keep her happy. The medic nin was starting to realize how depressing she sounded when it came to the youngest living Uchiha.

The person who she thought was him at first stepped forward and she gasped, taking a step back when she recognized him. This was Itachi, her lover's older brother. That would explain why he and Sasuke looked so similar. His activated Sharingan was a dead giveaway as well. Next to him was a shark looking man with a huge sword wrapped in bandages over his shoulder and a smile that showed off a row of sharp teeth.

"I-Itachi?" she called.

"Yes," he answered, his facial expression remaining blank.

"Where am I you fucking bastard?" she demanded as she gripped the bars tighter, staring coldly at him. "What am I doing in a cage?"

"You have been brought to one of the Akatsuki hideouts," he explained as if he was speaking of something trivial. "You are to be held as a hostage."

"Naruto will come for me," Sakura said strongly, defiance burning brightly in her eyes. "Or I'll simply bust out of here myself!" There was no doubt in her mind that her best friend would come searching for her and he wouldn't stop until he found her. Once that happened, all of Konoha's ninjas would be coming for her. She didn't know how long that would take, but she knew they would come and a calm sensation replaced her disoriented one. Sakura had nothing to worry about at all.

"That is what we want," Itachi responded as his Sharingan eyes gazed fixatedly at the young girl. "He will fall right into our hands and we will take the Kyuubi from him."

Sakura's calm spirit turned to dread at his words. "No," she whispered quietly.

That threw her thoughts of everything being alright out the window and now she didn't want him to come for her. Sakura knew what happened to the Jinchuriki when their tailed beast was taken from them: they would die. That was what happened to the Kazekage Gaara when they took the Shukaku from him. It was only by the sacrifice of Lady Chiyo that he was able to be brought back to life so it was apparent a bijuu and its host were very close to being one. Only she knew that jutsu so if Naruto were to die, Sakura would have no way of bringing him back. Sakura wouldn't know what to do if she lost Naruto. He was her backbone, she counted on him to get them through the rough times. Without him, the Leaf Village would surely fall to ruins.

Wait, why was she thinking like they already had Naruto? She needed to have faith in him like she always did because if there was anyone she could count on, it was that number one knuckle head ninja because he was one of the best there was.

"Naruto is stronger than you think," Sakura countered. "He won't let you take the Kyuubi from him. He's too strong for something like that."

"He is not strong enough to defeat me," Itachi responded smoothly. "Even if he managed, the others could always use you for bargaining. Now which do you think he will choose?"

Sakura lowered her head in frustration. She knew that Naruto would give himself up without a second thought. He was the type to always risk his life for those he cared about. It was a quality she always admired of him, but she didn't want him to give his life for this...for her. If the Akatsuki got a hold of all the tailed beasts, there was no telling what they would do. One tailed beast was hard enough to deal with by itself; she remembered that from seeing half of the Shukaku's strength back when the Chuunin exams had been interrupted by the Sand and Sound Village's attack. Fortunately, she had been unconscious when it completely emerged, but from what she heard, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"There is one more thing to think about," Itachi said, breaking Sakura out of her thoughts and she raised her eyes to glare at him. "If Naruto defeats me, how will Sasuke feel about him taking away his revenge? He would certainly come after Naruto."

Kisame chuckled. "Either way, you guys lose."

Sakura shot daggers at them with her eyes. They were right, Sasuke would be so angry with Naruto that he probably would kill him. It wasn't like he needed a reason the first time he tried to end his once best friend's life, but that would give him a definite reason. If Naruto came to retrieve her, which she knew he would, they would take the Kyuubi and he would die. There didn't seem to be any hope for the situation. She was just going to be bait to lure Naruto to his death. Sakura banged her fists angrily on the bars. She felt like such a helpless little girl again. It was this feeling that made her want to train under Tsunade. She got tired of not being able to help her comrades on their missions and felt like dead weight that had to be rescued which was a feeling she loathed entirely.

"Where has all my strength gone?" she questioned out loud.

"That cage keeps your chakra level low enough to where you do not have your inhuman strength," Itachi said. "You will remain there until it is decided otherwise. One of the Akatsuki will bring you a meal three times a day."

Sakura slumped to the ground, hands still wrapped around the bars. Her situation was finally starting to sink in. She was an Akatsuki prisoner and there was no way to get out of it.  
No, Sakura thought fiercely. I will find a way to get out of this.

"Your dinner will be brought by Deidara today," Itachi said as he turned and left with Kisame trailing behind him.

"You bastard!" Sakura shouted after him.

She growled irritably. That blonde fuckwad was the last person she wanted to see. If only she had her strength so she could show him what art was when she rearranged his face. The complete disrespect he showed to Gaara was unforgivable. The way he smirked as he used the Kazekage's body as a chair and smacked his face only made her blood boil like it had with Naruto. Gaara was a friend of theirs and for him to be snatched away and killed was something she didn't think she could ever let go.

There was no telling how long she would be here, but she wasn't looking forward to it. Mainly because she was dreading what could possibly happen to Naruto; that was her main concern and not the safety of herself. Sakura shook her head furiously. She needed to have more faith in Naruto because he was the one ninja who was completely unpredictable.

Sakura stood up with confidence and moved over to the tiny bed. She had to stay strong for Naruto so she wasn't going to give in.

* * *

The most feared rogue ninjas stood in the middle of a large room, quietly waiting to discuss their plans. Their power was so great that they had that kept villages scurrying away in terror. Each of them had a completely different power from the other and in that way, they complemented each other. When Sasori was alive, he and the Master of Explosions Deidara had the ability to use their forms of art to destroy many lives. There were even some that complemented each other in different ways. Their treasurer Kakuzu killed every former partner he had, but his current partner, the Jashinist Hidan was immortal and couldn't be killed.

Their plan was moving forward just as they planned. Soon, the goals of each of them would be fulfilled even though some of their reasons for joining the Akatsuki had nothing to do with the Tailed Beasts. Who knew what would happen to the world once that was achieved, but there was no one powerful enough to stop them. Their only rivals were some of the shinobi in the Hidden Leaf, but if they all came searching for Sakura at once, they would be easy to take out. Most likely they wouldn't be that ignorant. It couldn't be put past the Kyuubi Jinchuriki with how rash he could be; however, the Hokage wouldn't be stupid enough to let Naruto come after their little prisioner. Naruto acted on his rage instead of thinking about the possible outcomes of his actions.

"The girl is here and in the cell that was prepared for her," Itachi said stoically.

"Good," came Leader's voice. His hair was in its sharp orange spikes as his ringed eyes gazed at his minions. "From what Deidara as told us about Naruto, he is an impulsive being. There is no doubt he will come running for her."

"_She is the one who beat Sasori_," the cannibal Zetsu's white half commented, "_and she relies on physical strength_."

"**She was very powerful to defeat him with strength alone**," Zetsu's black half spoke.

"She received help from the old lady," Deidara responded, brushing his long blond locks over his shoulder. "She was the one Sasori no Donna learned from, yeah?"

"So is she pretty, Deidara-senpai?" Tobi singsonged, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis. "It's nice for a lady to be physically strong! Tobi means he just-" Deidara swung his fist angrily at Tobi. He ducked and scurried away before any damage could be done to him. "Deidara-senpai, you are so mean to Tobi!"

"Stop," Pain said as his strangely patterned eyes looked over them. "The main thing you need to remember is to keep her alive. She is of no use to us dead. You will take turns keeping her fed and maintaining that she stay healthy."

"This girl does not have a bounty on her so I am not interested," Kakuzu said, only his strange green and dark reddish eyes showing. "I will find other bounty to gain the money we will need."  
"Fine," Pain answered. "You may take Hidan, but the rest of you will be here until given orders to do otherwise." He turned to Deidara. "You will be giving her the first meal."

"What!" Deidara shouted incredulously. "You want me to feed that pink haired brat? What exactly am I supposed to give her?"

"Don't worry senpai!" Tobi exclaimed as he skipped around him. "I got stuff from a nearby village to feed her! Tobi gets to cook it too because anything Deidara-senpai makes will explode!"

"You little," Deidara growled irritably as he grit his teeth at the man with the swirled orange mask.  
Itachi watched the display with disgust although it didn't show on his face. He desperately wanted to dispose of these simpletons, but he had to keep them around for now. He had to watch the movements of the Akatsuki and what better way than to be part of the organization? If he didn't, his plan would fall through completely.

Things were moving forward slowly but surely. They had the girl and once they had the Kyuubi, they would only need a few more tailed beasts to have all nine. Truly, this was not what he was concerned with. Itachi was simply playing the part. There were other things on his mind that were way more important than the petty affairs of the Akatsuki.

The person who meant the world to him flashed in his mind. That person was the reason he was doing all of this with his hidden agenda underneath. No matter what, he would accomplish that.

* * *

The Hokage paced her office, hands folded behind her back as blonde pony tails swung around her shoulders. Her cinnamon colored eyes narrowed dangerously. Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai stood in front of her, watching as the Hokage fumed.

"So someone was in her room?" she questioned.

"Yes," Kakashi answered. The Jounin had been the first to be on the scene once they realized that Sakura was missing. His ability to track would help them; if anyone knew how to find a missing person it was his ninja dogs. He could recognize a few scents himself so that would also come in handy as he also had a chakra enhanced sense of smell. "I believe she was put under a genjutsu and taken last night."

"Granny you have to let me go after Sakura!" Naruto nearly shouted, nearly boiling with rage at the thought that Sakura had even gotten caught. How were those bastards able to get into Konoha so easily? It was like the Akatsuki just waltz into their village with the doors wide open. It didn't make any sense that there wasn't a struggle when they took her, there must have been genjutsu involved. Even then, Sakura was the best of all of them when it came to detecting genjutsu. Still, Naruto already had one ripped from him and he sure as hell wasn't going to let it happen again. "Whoever has her must be dangerous! There's no telling what they'll do to her!"

"I know who it was," Kakashi said softly, his one ebony eye staring blankly at Lady Tsunade.

"Who was it?" the artist Sai asked, cocking his raven haired head to one side.

"It was Itachi," Kakashi said seriously after crossing his arms over his chest. "I recognized his scent."

Naruto's gaze darted over to his sensei. He thought he was handling the situation pretty well, but that pushed him over the edge completely. What the hell was wrong with that damned Uchiha? Why in the world did he want Sakura? That _bastard!_ First he dragged Sasuke away, pulling him into the swirling hatred he was engulfed in and now they took her?

"What!" Naruto yelled. "Why would he take Sakura?"

"We don't know yet," Tsunade responded leaning against her large mahogany desk, "but we need to get her as soon as possible." She turned to Sai. "Go get Shikamaru and have him come here right away."

"Hai," Sai said as he exited the office.

Naruto stood there growling. When he got his hands on Itachi, he was going to rip him to shreds no matter what. He could never forgive him for all the pain he caused Sasuke and in turn, the pain it caused both Sakura and himself. It had hurt at first that Sakura loved Sasuke, but despite that, he would keep his promise to her. In order to do that, he had to bring her out of harm's grasp first.

"You're dismissed," Tsunade said, turning her back to them.

They quickly exited. Naruto was quiet as they walked and anger was written all over his face wishkered face. Kakashi knew that look anywhere. Once he was this angry, there might not be any stopping him and that could get dangerous. This was most likely a trap and he was a bit surprised that the Hokage was willing to go after Sakura. She was a trusted ninja and part of their team, but at the end of the day, it was about protecting the entire world.

"We'll get her back," Kakashi assured. "Her and Sasuke."

"I know we will," Naruto said strongly. "I won't let them be taken like this. And if they hurt Sakura, I'll kill them all."

Kakashi tossed a worried glance in his direction. He was also concerned for Sakura and her friends would most likely feel the same and want to help as much as they could. Still, it made too much sense for the Akatsuki to be doing this to get to Naruto. They most likely were going to try and take the Kyuubi from him, something they had strived so hard to prevent. Kakashi was sure that if Naruto has an episode where the Kyuubi started to take over again, that would make their job harder on both sides. When the Jinchurki lost control, everyone was a target, not just the enemy.

None of them were going to allow that to happen, Yamato would definitely see to that. They would rescue Sakura, keep Naruto alive, and eventually return Sasuke to Konoha. Sakura was definitely a strong girl, but against the Akatsuki, she was going to need some serious back up. They probably had her restrained because of her strength although Itachi could sedate her with his genjutsu. Kakashi didn't know if she would be able to ward off Itachi's power. The kunoichi was a genjutsu type, but the traitor's abilities were more powerful than any genjutsu she had ever experienced. On top of that, she was completely out numbered.

Kakashi looked over at Naruto once more. He had that look of determination which only meant that he wouldn't stop until he got the pinkette back. The Jounin just hoped she would be alright until they arrived. There was no telling what she would have to endure or be forced to do while she was staying there.

* * *

**Kay guys trying to slow it down a bit. The first chapter wasn't really fast, it was just an immediate attention grabber know what I mean? Anyway look forward to the next update!**


	3. What Do You Want?

**Natto is fermented soybeans which is a common Japanese breakfast food.**

* * *

Sakura sat in her cell, bored out of her mind, still completely fuming at her predicament. After smashing her fists into the iron bars until her knuckles were bruised and yelling to be set free, Sakura's anger melted into anxiety and frantically began separating her strands of hair. It was a nervous habit she had for years. Her mind kept wandering back to what could happen to her, especially if the Akatsuki decided they wanted more than just her to be a prisoner. What if they wanted secrets concerning the Leaf Village's plans? That thought was quickly dismissed when the her current predicament resurfaced. If those bastards had gotten in once, although security would definitely be tighter, they just might be able to do it again.

Blowing her annoying bangs out of her face, Sakura flopped backwards onto the small bed, nearly wanting to scream into the mattress. There seemed to be only one thing worse than being captured by her village's arch enemies: The Akatsuki hostage was _so...undeniably...bored_. The female shinobi knew that was her childish side speaking, but Sakura couldn't help it. She should have guessed it was going to be uneventful, but didn't prisoners at least get some time out of confinement even if it was under heavy super vision?

Sakura sighed and took the time to study the room her cell was in. There wasn't anything in it, but a chair Itachi had brought in after he left her. The walls were made of grey stone and the floor was just as boring. So much for passing time with observation. The last few hours that had gone by had been because she slept. It looked like that was going to be the only way to get some time to go by with the circumstances she was in. Unfortunately since she had already taken a nap, it was pretty much impossible to try and do so again. Sakura had tried, closing her eyes tightly for what must have been thirty minutes to no avail. The fragments of her dream had returned to her. It was something that was too hard to forget even if she tried to put it aside.

In her dream, the genjutsu scene that Itachi had placed her in played vividly, but this time when she woke up, she was slightly irritated by it. Sakura longed to have a relationship with Sasuke that ended with something as romantic and combining as intercourse. It had felt so good...so _real_. The way his mouth pressed tightly against her, the heightened sensitivity of her body as his fingers ghosted over every aspect of her anatomy; she could feel the intense pain of intrusion when the Uchiha first entered her and the transition from uncomfortable to deliciously intense. Sakura felt goose bumps on her skin as she remembered Sasuke's touch, but then she sighed. It wasn't really him so she shouldn't even feel this way, but that didn't make them go away.

The girl in custody decided to switch positions; the bed wasn't exactly comfortable and Sakura could already feel the burning sensation of a sore back. Groaning, she sat up, drawing her knees up to her chin and resting her head on them, realizing the knew position would not help her back any and frowning. A thought suddenly flashed into her head: would Sasuke even care that his brother took her hostage? Most likely not. She sighed again in exasperation. Why did she continue chasing after this guy? Oh right, she loved him. It sucked to care for someone who didn't return the feelings, but if she could stop herself, she would have by now...well at least Sakura thought she would.

Her stomach gave a loud growl, pulling a thoughtful kunoichi back into reality and her frown deepened at the annoying part of her body. Sakura hadn't eaten since that afternoon with Naruto and it had been around ten o'clock when she had gotten in bed. She must have slept for a couple of hours so it was probably around morning now. It was hard to tell since she was in a room with no windows or any way to the outside world besides a door Sakura couldn't get to. She was sure they would bring her something to eat because what good was a dead hostage? She shuttered at the thought of what it could be. Maybe if it was nasty, she could ask Itachi to use genjutsu so she thought it was something good.

Despite her situation, Sakura chuckled slightly at that thought. Her predicament was no laughing matter, but being down and sad about it wouldn't fix anything. Neither would being happy, but it felt better than continuing to be sad. She chuckled bitterly at the attempt at lightening her sour mood a little. Almost pouting, Sakura decided she could be a sour as she damn well pleased. After all she didn't ask to be thrown into a cell and be afflicted by the disorder called boredom so Sakura wasn't going to be all cheerful about it.

Besides the fact that she was ready to tear her hair out by the roots, there was a least one thing Sakura could do before she left with Naruto. "Now I can ask Itachi all the questions I've wanted to," she said bitterly to herself. "That damn monster."

Suddenly the room door slammed into the wall because of the immense force that it was swung open with. It was pushed so hard that the wood could be heard splintering. Sakura jumped slightly and saw Deidara standing there, obviously not happy to be within the same vicinity as her. Itachi did say that he would be bringing her the first meal so she guessed this was it. The question was...just where the hell was her food? The angry artist's hands were empty. Sakura's question was answered when Deidara frowned as another person came from behind him holding a platter of goodies. An orange mask covered his face and Sakura's mouth watered as delicious aromas wafted towards her nearly making her stomach tie itself in knots.

"Good morning Sakura-chan!" the masked man said cheerfully. "Tobi made you breakfast!"  
She moved away as the man came forward giving him a sour look. "Who are you?"

"Tobi is Tobi!" he exclaimed as he spun in a circle without spilling the food. She had to give him props for balance at least although that mask made Sakura want to punch him in the face. It was just something annoying that her fist was drawn to. "Tobi knows Sakura-chan is hungry."

"I am not hungry," she lied. She didn't know why she lied since she really was starving and not eating would probably lead to dire consequences...like her stomach eating itself. Right at that moment, her stomach growled loudly, protesting her earlier words.

"Tsk tsk," Tobi scolded gently wagging a finger at her. "Tobi thinks you are hungry."

He moved forward and placed his hands on the cage opening. Sakura had tried to free herself through it, but that damned door wouldn't budge. Her lack of strength probably played a big role in it and she mentally cursed Itachi for putting her in such an intricate cell. Tobi entered sat the platter of food in front of her. The smells that were emitting from it were making her stomach try to tear out of her body to get to it; she just had to eat..._now_. She thought of attempting to escape when the door was open, but without her strength and not having eaten, it would have been pointless.

"It's just been cooked too," Sakura murmured as she eyed the meal hungrily and the steamy floated above her meal almost as if it was teasing her.

"Tobi made you Japanese breakfast," the strange man said as he sat on the other side the tray. "Here's a bowl of rice and a bowl of miso soup." He began pointing at each item as he named them. "Here's some grilled salted salmon, pickles, and a sour plum," he said pointing to items on the rectangular plate. His finger stopped over another bowl. "Here's somenatto and the other bowl has some seasoned seaweed."

"Wow," Sakura said as she gazed at all the food. "You weren't kidding when you said this was traditional."

Tobi handed her a pair of chopsticks. "Here you go!" He turned to Deidara who had his back turned the entire time. "Deidara-senpai, you should get her some water."

Deidara whirled around with fury written on his face. "How about you get her some water!"  
"But you haven't done anything yet Deidara-senpai." Tobi pouted as he crossed his arms like a child.

Deidara's face turned red with anger. "Tobi I'll kill you!"

Sakura found Deidara's temper quite irritating although it reminded her of a few people she knew; she couldn't include herself in that number though. She had way more self control than this blonde idiot. Then again, he was the master of explosions. Sakura guessed that name fell into every aspect of his life and not just his ninja ways.

Deidara moved to the cell and reached between the bars for Tobi, fully intent on strangling the poor man. Tobi quickly jumped up and moved out of his sempai's angry grasp.

"Pain-sama told us to make sure she stays alive! She has to have water!"

"What's stopping you from getting it?" Deidara snapped as he pulled his arm back from between the bars.

Tobi was silent for a moment. It seemed like he really was contemplating on an answer, scratching his head before saying, "You're closer."

Deidara was now shaking with rage. "I'm going to blow you the fuck up Tobi!"  
"Okay! Tobi will go get it senpai!" the masked man shouted quickly. He turned and waved at Sakura. "Go ahead before it starts to get cold. Tobi will be right back!"

Tobi watched Deidara's movements carefully. When the blonde man moved away, Tobi bolted out of the cell and out the door. Sakura had to keep herself from laughing. Tobi was pretty silly, she couldn't believe that a guy like him managed to get into the Akatsuki. How that was possible she had no idea. He must have some strong abilities or either people just don't take him seriously and got killed that way.

"What the hell are you snickering about?"

Sakura turned to Deidara and smirked at him. She began to eat the food Tobi prepared for her. "Oh nothing."

"Tch," he scoffed as he turned away. "You better not have been."  
Sakura's brows furrowed. "Or what?"

"You don't want to know what," Deidara said over his shoulder.

"Yeah whatever," Sakura muttered as she continued eating.

_This is really good!_ Sakura nearly screamed in her mind as her meal seemed to melt in her mouth, the intoxicating flavors invading all her senses. _I hope Tobi is the one cooking all my meals._  
Sakura had eaten over half of her food when Tobi came back with two glasses of water. He entered her cell again and handed the water her. She drank most of it quickly because the fish had left her throat more than a little dry. The cool liquid running over her parched throat was relieving the uncomfortable thick feeling that had started to develop.

"This is really good Tobi-san," Sakura commented as she picked up another piece of seaweed. "Thank you."

"Aww!" Tobi exclaimed. "That is so sweet! She called Tobi, Tobi-san!"

Sakura found that although Tobi was her enemy, he was very likable. It was hard to hate someone who was sweet towards you and seemed harmless. Then again if he was in the Akatsuki there was no way he wasn't dangerous. That didn't matter right now though; She needed to escape, but so far there was no possible way. It looked like the door only opened for certain people who she guessed were only the Akatsuki; only they had opened it while she hadn't been able to. At her current strength, Sakura had no hope of breaking it open and even if she did, the Akatsuki's members would be waiting to drag her right back with more measures taken to imprison her. Still, she was smart and had plenty of time to try and figure something out.

Sakura exhaled, so far there was no hope for escape, but the first opportunity that arose would be taken without hesitation. Perhaps she would have to convince them that she was on their side in order to gain more information. If she could do that, her stay here wouldn't be in vain. Of course it wouldn't be as easy as the optimistic girl made it out to be. They were a guarded organization and wouldn't take new comers, especially from a village that was out to destroy them. Even if she managed to gain their trust, if she messed up or became suspicious, the rogue ninjas wouldn't hesitate to kill her.

Sakura put on a fake smile. "Well you're really nice Tobi-san. Unlike Deidara."

"Ooh," Tobi said solemnly as he turned to Deidara. "You get no suffix. You've been too mean Deidara-senpai."

"As if I care what that little bitch has to say!" Deidara yelled.

He turned on his heels to leave and Sakura raised a delicate brow in annoyance at the name he chose. Maybe Deidara she didn't have to be friendly with. After all, Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Kazekage Gaara all fought him. They knew what he was capable of and she also was aware of how he used his clay that was in the pouch at his hip. Sure it was interesting, but he couldn't use it against her as long as their leader said he couldn't so it wouldn't hurt to get under his skin a little. Even if he could, if she had her strength, she beat his ass into the ground.

"You know," Sakura said to Tobi. Said man turned to face her and if she could see his features there would most likely be a look of curiosity there. "I thought he was a girl at first."

_"What!"_ Deidara roared as his uncovered azul eye burned intensely.

"Well your hair is so long and the way your bangs are over your left eye, it just looked girlish," Sakura commented then finished up her first glass of water before starting on the second.

Tobi laughed. "Deidara senpai is a guy. He gets lots of looks from the girls."

"You're just angry because your damn forehead is so huge," Deidara snapped. "It looks like a fucking billboard."

Sakura frowned, he did not just go there. That was a taboo discussion just like how it was with Chouji and his weight. Anyone who said the "f word" to Chouji was immediately leveled and it was the same with Sakura and that issue she had. She stood up and moved over to the bars completely enraged at the stupid male. "Why don't you say that to my face gender bender!"

"Oh dear," Tobi said shaking his head. "This is getting out of hand."

Deidara moved to the bars and glared at her. "Your forehead...is...fucking..._huge_."

"That's it," Sakura growled. "You let me out of this damn cage and I'll kick your ass."

"Yeah right." Deidara laughed and the sound made Sakura want to rip his face off. He placed his palm inside the bar and the mouth in his hand licked her cheek. Her emerald eyes tried to burn holes in the Akatsuki member as she scrubbed her face viciously. If only she had a bar of soap; she hadn't felt so dirty in a long time and her mind was screaming at her to disinfect her cheek.

Sakura moved back and shot daggers at Deidara with her eyes. "That's so disgusting!"

Itachi stood watching the display in front of him frowning. This was the most intricate scene of stupidity he had ever seen. He knew Deidara had a short fuse, but to be drawn into an argument so easily was irritating and the girl was just as bad. From what little time Sakura had been there, Itachi already found the adjectives argumentative, immature, and pathetic to describe her. He could see why his little brother did not share her feelings; that little wench was already annoying him and she had only been there a few hours. As long as he kept her alive as ordered, that's all that mattered so he would put up with her ignorance...for now.

Sharingan still activated, Itachi watched as the argument escalated. Deidara was now unzipping his robes with the intent of showing Sakura how much of a man he was and the Uchiha mass murderer decided it was time to end this idiotic charade.

"Deidara."

He turned around, his hand on the entrance. "What?"

"Leave," Itachi ordered. "Tobi, take the tray and glasses back in to the kitchen."

"Okay Itachi-sama!" he said cheerfully. He took the items and exited the cell. "Bye bye Sakura-chan!"

Tobi exited while Deidara fixed his clothes, grumbling under his breath as he followed Tobi. Sakura gave Itachi the coldest stare she could muster. "I hope you don't think I'll thank you for what you did."

"Behave yourself while you are here," Itachi instructed. "I will not tolerate you acting like a child."

Sakura was appalled at the way he spoke to her. Was this guy serious? She knew she should just listen to what he said because of what he was capable of, but Sakura wasn't the type to back down even if it did get her into trouble sometimes. She need to let this jackass know that she wasn't going to fall before him in reverence after he kidnapped her. Itachi was nearly unstoppable and at the moment she was powerless, the kunoichi was very aware of that, but if she didn't stand up to him she knew that he always use fear against her.

"Look Itachi, I'm not some little kid for you to boss around and-"

Sakura suddenly found herself chained to a wall in the cell. She tugged at her restraints, but they held fast and she was starting to wonder if shutting her mouth would have been a good idea after all. It wouldn't have cost her anything but her pride...She had treaded on dangerous waters and now she had gotten on his bad side which Sakura knew wouldn't turn out well at all. This was the same man who put her sensei in the hospital for weeks without leaving a scratch on him so if he could bring down a top notch Jounin in three seconds, what was in store for her?

_What have I gotten myself into?_ Sakura thought, fear beginning to rise up inside her as Itachi's cold gaze locked on her.

* * *

**Geez I love Tobi lol. I bet you're wondering what's going on =O. Everything that was named for her breakfast is used as Japanese breakfast foods. I know us Americans are like what? lol.**


	4. Why Are You Like This?

**A/N: I will be making the chapters longer, but as a result, I won't be updating as often. Bold: black half of Zetsu, italics white half. I usually hate to do that but it's better than saying "white half/black half after all his dialogue.**

* * *

Sakura tried to pull against the iron that was clamping her to the wall, but she couldn't budge. It felt as if the confinements were tearing into her flesh with how tight they were and she knew that being catty with this man wasn't going to fly. Itachi stood in front of her, his eyes locked on her form. She was starting to realize that she might be able to push Deidara's buttons, but it was not the same thing with Itachi. This man was beyond dangerous and Sakura knew that so now she felt like an idiot for pulling such a stupid stunt. As Itachi stood menacingly in front of her, the medic nin felt her heart rate rising with fear. The sensation only increased as he moved closer to her, kunai in hand. This man could very well kill her if he wanted; she had no way of fighting back.

"What are you going to do?" Sakura yelled at him, emerald orbs flashing wildly.

He shoved the knife into the center of her chest and dragged it down to her stomach. She bit her lip hard as searing hot pain radiated throughout her entire being. "Does that answer your question?"  
Sakura was amazed at how much agony she felt. Looking down at the ragged tear in her clothes she wondered if her intestines were going to spill out onto the floor. How the heck did Kakashi-sensei survive something like this? Granted, he wasn't slashed like this, but he had been stabbed over and over for days. Was the same thing going to happen to her? Would Itachi keep her in this genjutsu for hours to teach her a lesson? Sakura felt her anger rising, understanding that Itachi was a merciless person. It was still hard to grasp that he had even put her in this terrifying illusion. She was supposed to be their hostage; they couldn't use her if she was dead.

The Mangekyou Sharingan, Sakura thought as he dragged the kunai from her left side to her right. She threw her head back and grit her teeth, determined not to let Itachi see how much pain he was putting her in. Her breath came in short and rasped, completely laced with her pain. I have to endure this. I have to show that I'm strong.

"Does it hurt Sakura?" Itachi asked calmly as he placed the kunai at her shoulder, piercing through it to her increasing agony.

Sakura panted heavily. She remained silent as her hate filled gaze locked with his, but it didn't seem to bother him at all. Then again he had probably seen the look she was giving him a hundred times over with how many people he had murdered. Itachi pressed the kunai deeper into her shoulder and she clamped her eyes shut, a low sound of agony at the intense level of pain escaping her lips. Itachi stood back and suddenly she was in the cell once again. She fell to her knees breathing heavily.

"I hope you will act more accordingly from now on," he said as he turned to leave. "I will be coming by everyday to make sure you are being properly taken care of."

With that, he exited. Sakura struggled to get up on her tiny bed. Her muscles felt as if they had been torn to shreds in the areas where she had been cut and they were screaming in process, but she persevered, hauling her weary body onto the hard mat. As her breath finally fell back into its normal flow, Sakura stared up at the unforgiving ceiling as rage filtered over her soft features. She wasn't going to back down to Itachi no matter what she had to endure. The fact was that the Akatsuki needed her alive so he wouldn't kill her. Sakura knew the smart thing to do would be just to be a good girl and do what they asked, but the fiery rosette wasn't the obedient type of girl if it wasn't something she wanted to do. She refused to act all sweet and docile just because they had the upper hand. She proved that earlier during her and Deidara's argument.

Sakura exhaled. This was going to be the longest time ever spent doing nothing in her life.  
The hours went by and soon it was evening. Her lunch had been brought to her by Zetsu; he was such a strange creature. His body was two different colors, the left half black and the right half white. His eye on the white side were a normal golden color, but the right side's eye was completely golden, showing no whites, the oddest features Sakura had ever seen. On top of that, it seemed the halves had different personalities as if two people were molded into one. Not to mention the large Venus Fly Trap looking plant sitting around his head. Sakura had seen pictures of him, but he was really something up close. Ino would probably adore him except for the one issue that would make anyone walk away briskly.

"_She looks delicious_," Zetsu had said as he entered her cage and placed her food on the bed next to her. "**Ah ah ah. We can't eat her...yet**."

"Yet?" Sakura had questioned incredulously. "What do you mean?"

"_When the Akatsuki no longer has need for you, I will most likely be the one disposing of your corpse although live food is much more...interesting_."

Sakura couldn't imagine being eaten by that plant man. In fact, being killed wasn't on her list of things to do especially being torn to bits like she was a piece of chicken. It didn't sound pleasant at all to have him turn rabid and slurp up her insides. Just thinking about it made Sakura want to shudder with how creepy he was. She watched him retreat, completely astounded by the man. What Zetsu had said stuck though because the kunoichi knew that he meant every word he said and she pondered on it for a while. Being eaten by a multi-colored cannibal wasn't the worse of her problems at the moment though.

The issue was she hadn't been to the bathroom all day and she really had to go. Didn't they once think that she would have to use the facilities? She was after all human and not having gone for hours was taking a serious toll on her. Sakura stood and walked around, clenching her fists together. She felt like her bladder was going to explode at any moment. Luckily right then, the door swung open.

In walked a beautiful woman with pale blue hair and almost orange colored eyes. In her straight locks was a large paper flower that Sakura found very pretty. The woman herself was beyond beautiful and Sakura found herself feeling a little self-conscious when standing next to glowing lady. So this must be the one woman that was said to be in Akatsuki. Who knew she would be so attractive? Sakura would have thought she would have been an old hag with some strange appearance like Zetsu or Kisame.

"I am Konan," she introduced as she opened the cage and placed her food down. "Here is your dinner."

"Um Konan-san," Sakura said, hopping from one foot to the other. "I really have to use the bathroom. I haven't gone the entire time I've been here."

Konan looked at her, serious eyes not blinking. "They did not provide means for you to use the facilities?"

"No," Sakura answered. "They never mentioned anything besides who would be bringing my meals."  
Konan pulled something from her robes and moved to Sakura's side. She clamped a bracelet around her wrist then turned and walked out of the cell, but left the door open. She turned and looked at Sakura. "Come."

Sakura didn't have to be told twice and quickly followed after her. Soon they were out the room and going down the halls of the Akatsuki hideout. They moved out the walkway and into a large room. Sakura was amazed with how big it was. The walls had to be at least fifty feet in height and the room itself was grand enough to be a king's throne room. This wasn't what Sakura would have pictured to have been the Akatsuki hideout at all. She figured it would be dark and clammy like these villains were supposed to be. It was a little confusing to see such a large and elaborate place.

Beryl irises gazed over to see three hallways on the opposite side of the room. "Where do the other halls lead to?" Sakura asked.

"The left leads to the kitchen and past that is the training grounds," Konan answered without turning around. "This one leads to the Akatsuki bedrooms. The middle one leads to Pain-sama's chambers."  
"Pain-sama," Sakura repeated quietly.

He was the leader of the Akatsuki. Sakura didn't know what he looked like, but she knew he was a force to be reckoned with. If he managed to have these ridiculously powerful beings under his wing, he had to have immense capabilities. Sakura hadn't had the pleasure of meeting said feared man, but she knew she was going to have to eventually and that was a moment she was dreading. If Itachi was hard enough to deal with, there was no doubt that Pain would not tolerate anything less than obedience. That in itself made Sakura's blood boil at the thought of having to listen to someone else like a little puppy because she didn't have the strength to fight back. In her heart she was a fighter, a true ninja so taking that away from her was beyond infuriating.

Sakura attempted to control her chakra now that she was out of that cell, but she still didn't have any strength. It had to be the work of the bracelet Konan put on her. Sakura had to give this band of ninjas credit: they were smart. If she did have her abilities, she would have attempted to break free, full bladder or not. They put a road block in every exit she could think of so far. No matter, she would figure a way out of this hell hole.

The hallway they walked down had doors on either side, but they didn't have any door knobs. Sakura understood when Konan stopped in front of a door and held her ring up to it. The ring began to glow and what looked like a barrier was removed from the door in a shift of glittering chakra. It slid open on its own and Konan motioned for Sakura to follow her inside.

She stepped inside and gazed around. So this was what a rogue ninja's room was like. Her room was painted the same navy blue color of her hair and there were origami creations all over the room. Some small and others life sized. In the middle of the room was a large bed with black sheets and pillows that matched. Looking over at the closet near another door, Sakura could see a line of Akatsuki robes hung neatly inside.

Konan pointed at the door the girl with the nearly exploding bladder looked at a moment before. "The bathroom is there."

"Thank you, thank you," Sakura said quickly as she ran to the bathroom.

Once she was finished, she washed her hands and exited. Such relief she felt, not only because she no longer had to pee, but also because she didn't embarrass herself by wetting her clothes like a two year old. For the few minutes she was in there though she had looked for possible means of escape with no luck. Sakura saw that there were of course no windows in the bathroom and not a single object she could use to get the bracelet off. There were only the essentials such as bathing products, toothpaste, and a tooth brush. There had been a plastic hair brush sitting on the counter, but she had no way of using that either. The bracelet was tight around her wrist. On top of that, she didn't want to spend too much time in the bathroom; that would make her all the more suspicious.

"Thank you," Sakura said gratefully.

Konan nodded and left the room with the prisoner following behind her. Soon, she was back in her tiny room which she had not been looking forward to coming back to. Konan got ready to exit, but Sakura called out to her; she turned and looked at her intently. Sakura had a very serious question to ask that couldn't be left unanswered.

"How do I tell someone if I need to go again?" Sakura asked, her cheeks turning pink slightly at the embarrassing question.

Konan walked forward and did a few hand signs over the bracelet. A button appeared on the right side of it. "Press this and one of us will come to you. We have the power to speak to each other telepathically and this is similar to tapping into our abilities."

"Thank you Konan-san," Sakura said again.

"No need for formalities," Konan said as she walked away. "I will see you again Sakura."

She was gone the next moment. So far, the Akatsuki members she met all seemed to have different personalities that contradicted with the other members. Tobi was a happy go lucky type of guy while Deidara was the type to lose his cool and yell easily, then Zetsu with his freaky double-personality and Kisame who always seemed to smile, but it was an unpleasant one. Konan seemed to be the most collected of the ones she met so far. Her and Itachi were similar on some levels, but Itachi was down right evil.

"Itachi," Sakura said bitterly as she remembered what he did to her earlier.

Everything was this man's fault. If he hadn't of destroyed his clan, she doubted she would be in this situation asking how she could use the bathroom in the first place! She would be in Konoha with Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi-sensei just like old times. Sasuke wouldn't be the angry person he was now everything would have been just Uchiha Clan would still exist and everyone would be happy.  
Sakura slowly began to eat her dinner and found that a tear was sliding down her cheek. She wiped it away angrily, refusing to show weakness to anyone...even herself. She was a strong girl. That's what the Hokage trained her to be and it wasn't just physical and medical training that she received. She learned how to be stronger mentally too so as hopeless as her situation seemed, there was always a possibility that everything could turn out alright.

* * *

"Have you found her?" Naruto asked eagerly when Pakkun, one of Kakashi's ninja hounds entered the Hokage office.

"That lead was a dead end," Pakkun responded. "We could smell her scent coming from multiple directions, but all of them stopped as if she vanished. The other scent disappeared also."

Naruto paced angrily. Shikamaru stood with his hands in his thoughtful pose, dark eyes closed and his brows knitted in thought. Tsunade was sitting at her desk, her elbows resting on its surface and her fingers knitted together; her expression was nothing less of anger. Those bastards had the nerve to take her apprentice. They were going to pay dearly for this mistake they made. As nice as having their heads sounded, it wasn't as easy and it didn't sound that way either. The Akatsuki was a serious bunch and there was no underestimating such a group.

Since they found out she was missing, Shikamaru had been through Sakura's room to look for any clues. From the way her room was still intact, he was able to determine that Sakura had been taken without a struggle, indicating she was either drugged or under powerful genjutsu. They were sure it had to have been someone from the Akatsuki. They only had a limited amount of time to gather the Tailed Beasts hosts and using Sakura as bait was the perfect idea.

Sakura was skilled in deactivating genjutsu so it didn't make sense how she didn't realize early on that it whatever she was shown wasn't real. Shikamaru believed it was the work of Itachi Uchiha. His abilities with the Sharingan were not easily broken out of. Sakura was most likely shown something having to do with Sasuke and her feelings got in the way. She would have had to realize that what she saw wasn't real before even attempted to break free of it. Unfortunately, she did not and even if she had, Itachi's genjutsu was beyond any normal illusion; Sakura might not have been able to break free even if she had tried.

So they knew who kidnapped Sakura and they were aware that Konoha was going to have to play into their hands if they wanted to save their beloved ninja.

"So what the hell do we do now!" Naruto shouted. "If we don't do something soon they might kill her!"  
"I know that," Tsunade said irritably. Naruto's habit of saying...well yelling the obvious was not doing anything to help the Hokage's sour mood.

Shikamaru put his hands down and opened his eyes. "I've got an idea, but it will be risky."

Naruto whirled around to face the Shadow Master. "Well, what is it?"

"The Akatsuki need the Jinchuriki to take the tailed beasts from them right? We can find the the hosts and be around when those guys comes to get them. So far they have the one, two, and three-tailed beasts. There is no proving that they will go in order so we will have to spread out our ninja to be surrounded by all of them. Because of that, protection for the village will be borderline nothing and also our ninja will be few for each Jinchuriki, making it harder to defeat the Akatsuki in order to make them talk.

"I'm assuming since they want us to come after them that they won't kill anyone else as long as they don't get in their way. That is just an assumption though and we should take as many precautions as possible. Since Sakura was our medical ninja on missions, without her we will be at more of a disadvantage. We still have Ino and Shizune would be of great help. Katsuyu would be of great service also since she can be transformed into smaller slugs and you can assist with the healing process of any injuries one of the ninjas might receive.

"Each group will have at least one of Kakashi's hounds. Shino, Neji, Hinata, Kiba, and Yamato-sensei will not be on the same team as they all have tracking abilities in case they come in contact with an Akatsuki."

"How will we keep in touch with one another?" Naruto questioned. "We most likely won't be in the same area."

"Radio sets," Shikamaru responded. "Gai-sensei and his team used some while they were helping return the Kazekage. If we alter them, we can make the reception for them miles longer."

Tsunade exhaled. This plan was extremely risky and down right moronic, but they didn't have time to think about the risks. Time was running out and they had to move fast. The other option of course was to just leave Sakura to fend for herself. That honestly would be the smartest thing to do, but her shinobi wouldn't allow that and deep down Tsunade couldn't either. It wasn't only because Sakura was her apprentice, but also because she knew what an emotional and easily persuaded person Sakura could be. If Akatsuki managed to persuade her to their side, Konoha would be in grave danger. Even worse, if Sakura became fond of them, that would also cause problems, but then she might be able to stop them from attacking their village. It could be a win or lose situation depending on how Sakura reacted.

"Have Gai come with one of the radio sets so the staff can look at it," Tsunade said finally. She turned to Kakashi who had been listening the entire time. "Find the other Jounin and bring them here. We need to discuss how the teams will be dispersed."

Shikamaru and Kakashi exited leaving Naruto behind. Tsunade gazed at the boy who reminded her so much of her younger brother and her lover that died so many years ago. His usually sweet boyish features had trouble brewing over them and those dark blue eyes of his showed his anger. She hated that look, but it also expressed his ambition. His goals matched theirs completely and she knew that if anyone would be the trump card in this situation, it would be him.

"Go find Jiraiya," Tsunade ordered. "He's in town right now so tell him I need to see him immediately. His detective skills could be helpful."

"You got it grandma Tsunade," Naruto answered and he was out the door in a heartbeat.

He moved through the streets going to the one place where he knew the Pervy Sage would be. Anywhere there were pretty girls, he would find the white-haired man. As Naruto hopped from rooftop to rooftop, he heard girls giggling. That was his first indication that Jiraiya was somewhere around. He stopped in front of a bath house and of course on the second floor balcony was his perverted sensei drooling as he peeked through a crack in the wood wall.

"Pervy Sage!" Naruto shouted. "Would ya stop peeking on girls while they bathe and get down here!"

Naruto smirked as the girls started to scream. One managed to kick the plank of wood in the wall so hard that it broke loose and hit Jiraiya smack in the face. He came tumbling down and landed in an ungraceful heap. When Jiraiya sat up, he glared at Naruto.

"I was doing very important research!" he exclaimed as he stood and dusted himself off.

"We don't have time for that," Naruto said irritably. "Granny wants to see you right away. We've got a plan on how to get Sakura back."

Jiraiya's face turned serious. "Let's get going."

They took off towards the tower and Naruto couldn't help worrying about his best friend. Anger was welling up inside him as well as he and the Sannin made their way back to the Hokage tower. First Itachi took Sasuke away and now Sakura. He was going to make those stupid Akatsuki guys regret the day they messed with his friends. That was a promise and he never went back on his word.

* * *

Sakura woke up from a dreamless sleep. She had no idea what time it was, but she was sick of being so bored that she had to sleep to pass the time. Looking through bleary eyes at her arm, she remembered the bracelet that Konan had given her earlier. True, it was in case she had to go to the bathroom which at the moment she didn't, but Sakura just couldn't stand being confined to such a tiny room. She sat up and pressed the button on the bracelet; her heart thudded in her chest as the suspense for who would appear in front of her. A few moments later, a figure appeared near the door. Sakura immediately felt immense power radiating from this person as they stepped forward. It was almost crushing, especially without having her own chakra following through her body.

His hair was orange and spiky, slightly reminding her of Naruto's hair. He had so many piercings it was astounding: three on each side of his nose, snake bites under his lip, six rings on each of his ears, and a bar going through his ears. Sakura had never seen that many in her life, but the strangest thing about this man was his eyes. They were completely purple, but after the iris were what looked like rings. From the way he felt, Sakura was sure this had to be Pain, leader of the Akatsuki.

"What is it Sakura?" he questioned, his voice resonating throughout the room. Pain's voice screamed authority and power; Sakura found herself a little shaken that he had been the one to come see her. Why would the leader come and see their hostage? She gulped audibly. This was the part where he gave her the speech of what would happen if she tried to escape and then show her a hint of his power. With her chakra, Sakura didn't stand a chance against this guy, without her chakra...there was just no comparison.

"I just..." she started. "I want something to do. I'm so bored just sitting here in this cage. Konan-san, put this bracelet on me and it keeps my chakra level down so can't I be let out of here? Even if I am, I still won't have my strength to try and escape."

Pain moved to the cage and opened it. He remained silent for a moment. Sakura was hoping that he would agree to let her out of this place and she breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded shortly.  
"Very well," he said smoothly. "I will escort you to the guest room and you will stay there. I will have Itachi show you our library tomorrow. We are aware that you are a medical nin and your talent will be useful to us."

Sakura's happiness to be out of the cell dissolved immediately when she realized that she might have to assist the Akatsuki. Now she had to _help_ the bastards who kidnapped her? This was getting worse and now she was starting to feel more like a burden to her friends. Because of her abilities, she could be causing her village harm by healing the ones they inflicted damage on.

She followed Pain out of the room and was roaming down the hallways once more. Sakura realized something as they were walking. "Pain-sama?" she called.

"Yes?"

"How will I assist the Akatsuki with my chakra levels so low?" she questioned. "Without being able to practice and keep precise control over my chakra, I won't be much help when someone is injured."  
"I am aware of this," Pain said as he moved down the Akatsuki member's hallway. "Itachi will discuss everything with you around eleven."

"What time is it?" Sakura asked.

"It is three o'clock in the morning," he answered.

She didn't know it was that early. Sakura felt a little bad about waking him up, but then again he was part of the Akatsuki so she didn't feel that guilty after all. From the looks of him, he probably didn't sleep anyway...great another creepy guy. Pain moved to the end of the hallway to a room that actually had a doorknob. He opened it and ushered her inside. It wasn't as extravagant as Konan's but it was quite a step up from what she had been in. At least there was a bathroom.

Sakura turned to Pain and nodded her thanks. The leader got ready to leave, but then looked over his shoulder at her. "Sakura."

"Yes?" she responded.

"If you attempt to defy me, I will not hesitate to end your life."

Well there was the threat Sakura had been looking for and it had been just as bone chilling as the kunoichi thought it would be. He left, closing the door behind him and after releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, Sakura moved over to her bed and laid down. It felt so nice to be in a real bed and not that rock hard cot she had to sleep on before. After pulling the covers back and getting situated, Sakura looked at the pale ceiling and wondered how things would work now. Would she be confined to this room only? Pain mentioned that Itachi would be showing her their library later on so she guessed that wouldn't be the case. He would probably answer any questions that she had, but she really did not want to talk to him especially after what he did to her.

Sakura still couldn't believe that he used such a horrible genjutsu on her. Then again, it shouldn't come off as surprising. She had to remind herself of who this man was. He was cruel beyond belief and he looked the part too with his nonchalant face and Sharingan eyes.

Sakura saw his face swim in front of her eyes. She noticed how much Sasuke was starting to look like his older brother. They both were every handsome.

Wait both! Sakura screamed in her mind. Itachi is an asshole and I will never acknowledge him other than being a waste of human life.

Sakura held on to that thought hard as she fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

_Sakura was running through a dark cavern, blackness surrounding her completely. The darkness was suffocating, nearly causing fear to wrap around her neck. Panic laced through her being and she felt as if she were being dragged down into an abyss. Sakura sprinted faster, trying desperately to escape the inky darkness. As she ran, she heard someone calling her name._

_"Sakura."_

_She continued running. The voice sounded so familiar, so soothing and warm. It was like the sound was calming her fear and leading her in the right direction. Confidence took over her strides and a smile broke over her features. Sakura saw a light and when she reached it, she threw herself into its warmth. The once frightened girl let her eyes adjust and after they did, she found that Itachi was standing in front of her._

_"Sakura," he said, red gaze locked on her._

_"Itachi," she breathed._

_She ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder and his arms locked around her waist. She looked up at him and he leaned closer to her mouth._

_"Sakura..." he whispered once more before their lips touched._

She woke with a start and sat straight up in bed, rubbing her eyes sleepily and still feeling the warmth of another's lips against her own. What in the world was that dream all about? She hated that man so unconscious thoughts like that shouldn't even occur.

"Why the hell am I dreaming about Itachi?" she whispered out loud.

"I don't know. Why don't you enlighten me?"

Sakura looked up and dread filled her being as Itachi's crimson orbs bore into her. He must have come to wake her up so he really was calling to her and she heard him in her dream. What the hell was she supposed to say now? Her cheeks burned with embarrassment.

* * *

**So the plot is moving forward. There will be more ItachixSakura happenings as we proceed don't worry babies =].**


	5. Am I Okay With This?

**Thank you Kel, tahrocs, and Celecia-Meow for reviewing!**

* * *

Sakura's face burned bright red and she stood up quickly, Itachi's hard gaze remaining on her. She didn't know what to say. It was obvious he knew she dreamed about him, but she wasn't going to admit that... again. There was no way in hell she would tell him _exactly_ what the stupid illusion her brain concocted was either. It was just too embarrassing and irritating to admit. She wouldn't even admit it to herself anymore that she had such thoughts like that while she slept.

"Why do you care anyway?"

"I don't."

"Then why ask!"

Itachi continued to look at her, face unchanging. "Because I can."

Sakura felt her temper rising; this guy was such a pompous asshole! She didn't know how she was going to be able to deal with being within the same vicinity as him without trying to beat him to a pulp. Unfortunately, the young girl knew she wouldn't be able to get away with something like that. Even if she had her strength, Itachi would have her trapped in genjutsu before she could even get close.

She exhaled angrily and crossed her arms over her chest. "Why are you here?"

"You already know why," Itachi said monotonously, dark orbs gazing at her. "Come, you will eat first."  
"No," Sakura said defiantly." How about shower first?"

Itachi was silent for a moment then turned his back to her. "You have five minutes."

"That's it?" Sakura exclaimed. "How am I supposed to-"

"You're wasting your five minutes attempting to argue with me," he interrupted, throwing a glance over his shoulder. "I will come and retrieve you if you do not come out within those five minutes."

"_What?_" she sputtered. "You wouldn't dare!"

Itachi turned to face her, his facial expression saying that he would indeed come in the bathroom to get her although his features were still as stoic as ever. The message was clear underneath the nonexistent expression Sakura huffed angrily; could this guy get under her skin any more than he already had?  
"What about clean clothes then? I don't have anything but what I'm wearing."

Itachi pointed to one of the dressers in the room. Sakura walked over to it curiously and opened the first drawer. There were underwear and bras inside it. She looked at the bra size and was shocked that it would fit her perfectly. The underwear looked like it would too. That was beyond freaky; how could they possibly know her _underwear_ size? It seemed as if there was a panty raider amongst the Akatsuki's ranks.

Sakura looked over her shoulder to see Itachi watching her. "Do you mind? Ever heard of a thing called privacy!"

"Your mouth will get you into trouble again," Itachi said coldly, but he did turn his back and sat on her disheveled bed.

Sakura pulled out an olive green bra and black underwear. She scavenged through the other drawers, finding a pair of black shorts and a red tank top. She still was quite uncomfortable that they knew what size she wore in clothes, but this did point out something to her: if they had set up a room for her with clothes and everything, that must of have meant that they had no intention of keeping her locked away in that cage...maybe. Oh well, Sakura was out of that rat's nest and that was all that mattered.  
She walked past Itachi on her way to the bathroom. "Get off my bed," she muttered as a last attempt at defiance.

Next thing she knew, she was pressed up against the nearest wall, Itachi's arm underneath her chin, cutting off her breath dangerously. His other hand balled into a fist and he slammed it into her stomach."I have told you that your mouth will get you in trouble."

"So what?" she rasped. "I'm supposed to just surrender like a little kitten and do as you wish?"

Itachi was impressed by at this kunoichi's attitude. No one talked to him like that without suffering the consequences as she would momentarily see. This girl had all her strength taken from her, and she still defied him like she wasn't in the submissive position that currently trapped her. Itachi could plainly see the resistance burning in her eyes and he found it to be quite a nuisance. Itachi watched as her gloved hands gripped his arm, but she made no move to struggle.

"Are you afraid of me?" he questioned, eyes that had converted to red boring into her.

"No," she spat. "Why should I be?"

He pressed his arm further into her neck and kneed her in the stomach causing her to double over as a grunt of pain escaped her lips. "Because I can make you suffer."

Again to his surprise, she laughed hoarsely. "You can only go so far. If I'm injured, how can I perform my task that your leader has given me? You must know that I am the best medical ninja other than Lady Tsunade."

Itachi stiffened slightly. This girl was no idiot. He couldn't damage her under direct orders of Pain; well he could, but things would go more smoothly if he didn't. Sakura was supposed to be an asset to them so they would need her healthy. On top of that, she could be injured easily with how weak they kept her. That was obvious from how quickly he had to stop the genjutsu when they were in her cell and how a trickle of blood trailed from her mouth from the blow he gave her.

Itachi released her. "Shower. _Now_."

Sakura muttered under her breath, rubbing the sore spot under her neck as she first slumped to the floor from the pain in her stomach. Damn, she felt as if she had been hit in the gut by a rhino. It was hard to breathe and every struggled inhalation made her mid section scream in protest. Breathing heavily, the proud girl shakily got to her feet then gathered her clothes which had fallen to the floor. If only she had her strength that punch would have felt like a mosquito bite. In fact, that hit wouldn't have even occurred.  
Holding her head high, Sakura went in the bathroom and locked the door behind her. Unfortunately her tough guy act had worn out and she leaned against the sink for support, gritting her teeth against the pain in her stomach. Itachi would pay for that one of these days when she got her full strength back and she punched him in that flawless face of his, stupid bastard.

Sakura looked around at the bathroom and it wasn't so bad. It was nicely sized, not too big nor too small. The entire bathroom was white, even the rugs on the floor and the shower towel in front of the tub. Sakura looked underneath the sink, finding a wash cloth, towel, and soap that smelled like cucumber melon. Creepy...that was her favorite scent. It seemed obvious that this wasn't just a last minute mission. It seemed almost as if they had prepared to treat her like a person instead of a prisoner.

She placed the towel on the counter with her clothes and stepped inside the billowing water. She sighed at how good it felt. Sakura hadn't showered since she was kidnapped so it felt nice to get all the grime off. She knew she wouldn't have time to wash her hair so she would have to do that later. It wasn't that she was afraid of ignoring him, it was just that she would rather not have him come in and see her naked. Sakura had already embarrassed herself by informing him unintentionally that she had been dreaming about him so she didn't want something even more embarrassing to happen. Her main concern was cleansing her body for now. Sakura was starting to stink and she was glad she was finally able to get rid of the faint onion smell; it was beyond unattractive although she wasn't trying to impress anyone there.

She quickly rinsed off and stepped out of the shower onto the towel on the floor. Sakura took the towel from the counter, drying the excess water from her body. After slipping on her clothes, Sakura checked under the sink, sighing with relief when she found deodorant. Sakura put some on and just when she was gathering her dirty clothes, she heard the door knob twist.

"I'm coming Itachi," she said irritably as she unlocked the door.

She opened it and there stood the Uchiha traitor. Her eyes narrowed with her disgust. Sakura really felt that way about him after all that he had done to his people and Sasuke. Itachi was a monster in human form and on top of that, he had no remorse. His demeanor was calm and cool as if he had never done anything wrong; Sakura hated him.

"I will take you to breakfast," Itachi said as he turned away from her and began to walk gracefully out of the room.

Sakura placed her dirty clothes on her bed and trudged after him not bothering to put her sandals back on. The cool, hard floor felt good to the soles of her feet even though it sent a chill through her body. They walked past the doors of the other Akatsuki members and soon were entering the grand room once again. Veering to the right all the way to the farthest hallway, captor and captive began traveling down it. The walls were the same, made of grey stone; pretty dull looking if you asked Sakura.

After walking for a few minutes, they entered a large kitchen. Sakura was surprised at the fact that it actually looked like a regular kitchen. There was a refrigerator next to where they had walked in and in the middle of the kitchen was a counter island with two sinks. Sakura was impressed by the nice stove that was in front of it and the wooden cabinets lining the walls were so smooth looking. Emerald eyes raked over the contents of a pantry that was diagonal from the island and Sakura vowed to get some of those peanut butter cookies that were taunting her from across the room. Unfortunately for her though, they were not alone like Sakura had hoped. She had no intention of meeting up with the Akatsuki members so soon, but it looked like it was too late for that.

There at the table eating breakfast was Kisame Hoshigaki of the Village Hidden in the Mist. His great sword Samehada was laying across his lap. She had heard a lot about that sword from Gai-sensei because of its ability to rip flesh from bone, just like shark's teeth. Bandages were wrapped tightly around it and Kisame had one pale blue hand on its hilt as he ate. He really did look similar to a shark and when he turned to face her, she could see the sharpness of his eyes and the gills underneath his cheeks. Kisame definitely wasn't something one wanted to see in the morning. Despite that she already met Itachi's partner, Sakura didn't feel like being around him at the moment...or ever.

Across from him was that idiot Deidara. He was drinking a glass of orange juice at the moment, but stopped to glare at her. "Who the hell let you out, un?"

"Who let _you_ out?" Sakura echoed irritably.

Kisame chuckled. "She's got quite the spirit, huh Itachi?"

Itachi grunted, but did not respond to Kisame's comment. He turned to Sakura. "Get whatever you like."  
Sakura wasn't sure what she do. Itachi gave her permission to get something, but she would much rather if Tobi did it. "Where's Tobi?"

"What's the matter?" Deidara taunted. "Don't know how to cook, un?"

"You'd better shut up before I knock the teeth out of all your mouths," she shot back, emerald eyes flashing dangerously at him.

Kisame started laughing and stood up, his plate in his hand and Samehada in the other. Sakura gulped as she looked up at him. Geez, he was a lot bigger when he was standing. The shark nin had to be well over six feet so he nearly dwarfed her since she was only 5'2; Sakura came only up to the upper half of his stomach. She poked his bare chest through the opening in his Akatsuki robe.

"You're huge," she said, still staring at his stomach and completely awed at his size.

"You're tiny," he responded smirking down at her.

"Hey," she said gazing up at him, let half of her mouth curved up into a smile despite herself. "My strength makes up for my size."

"So I've heard," he chuckled. He looked over at Deidara. "Come on Blondie, we're going to do some training."  
"Stop calling me that," Deidara said irritably he stood up and he and Kisame put their plates in the sink.  
Just as those two were exiting out of the door opposite of the hallway her and Itachi entered in, Tobi skipped through the hallway. His masked face turned towards Sakura and he called her name happily as wrapped her in a bone crushing hug. Sakura frowned.

"Get off me Tobi!"

"But Tobi is so happy to see Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed as he let her go.

She really didn't understand how Tobi was in the Akatsuki. He was just too carefree and borderline absent-minded. He was sweet and his playful nature made her feel like she wasn't being held hostage. It was almost relaxing when the silly guy was around, but she had to remember that she was being held captive and that wasn't going to change any time soon. Sakura couldn't fall for their kindness although she really felt Tobi's was genuine. Maybe it was all a ploy and Tobi was only acting; the Leaf ninja couldn't know for sure since she didn't know any of these rogue ninja. She didn't plan on getting to know them either; Sakura would just grudgingly do what she was told.

"Tobi will fix Sakura-chan something to eat!" he said as he started gathering things from the refrigerator. "Tobi will make pancakes!"

Sakura's stomach growled loudly at the mention of them. That sounded amazing. She could use something sweet right about now and the taste of sugar laden syrup sounded more than perfect. Tobi bustled around the kitchen while Sakura sat down at the table. Itachi took an orange from the fruit bowl on one of the counters, peeled it, and ate it slowly while watching Tobi as he mixed the batter.

She sighed quietly and leaned back, wondering if Konoha was looking for her. She knew that Naruto definitely would be trying to get to her, but how long would they look? What would they do? The Akatsuki was no group of pushovers. They were the strongest rogue ninja that ever existed and if her comrades mindlessly barged in, (which was Naruto's specialty) they would be destroyed and they would take Naruto and...

Shaking her head quickly, Sakura dispersed the pessimistic thoughts that were running rampant in her mind. She didn't want to think about that at all; it hadn't happened so she shouldn't fret over a future that wasn't exactly certain. She did wonder, however, what they would say when they found out she had become the medic for the Akatsuki. Konoha didn't tolerate traitors, but maybe they would understand that it wasn't something she wanted to do. Then again they might not..

"What are you thinking about Sakura-chan?" Tobi asked.

She blinked and noticed that a plate of pancakes was sitting in front of her. Tobi had also gotten her syrup, a knife, and a fork and had poured her a cup of orange juice as well. "None of your business,"she snapped before taking a good look at her breakfast. "This looks really good."

Tobi sat down next to her with his own plate in front of him. "Tobi is good at cooking."

Sakura bit into the pancakes after drowning them in syrup and felt like she was in paradise. They were so soft and fluffy; this kind of meals must have been what was served in heaven. Was Tobi some sort of angel who was sent to make her meals worthy of a god? They were blueberry pancakes which was something she had never tried before. Sakura closed her eyes and enjoyed the sweet breakfast. "This is delicious."

She saw Tobi cut his pancakes and begin to lift his mask. Sakura found herself curious to see how he looked underneath it. It was similar to her curiosity of Kakashi-sensei's and Shino Aburame's face. Unfortunately Tobi turned away from them and shoved a large section of pancake in his mouth then lowered his mask before turning back around.

Sakura despite trying hard not to give in, laughed as she stood up and put her now empty plate in the sink. "Breakfast was good. Now I have business I have to attend to with Itachi."

She threw him a nasty glare which he returned with his stoic, unchanging face. Tobi got up and hugged her again. "Okay Sakura-chan! Tobi will miss you!"

Sakura didn't respond and turned to Itachi. He exited the way they came and Sakura followed him without a word. He walked back towards where she had been first held in her cell, but continued past it and soon came to another large, mahogany door. Itachi pushed it forward and stepped inside.

Sakura's eyes had to adjust to the dim lighting and when she could see, she immediately noticed rows and rows of book shelves. Near where the door was there was a desk that had scrolls scattered around it along with ink and brushes. Sakura moved over to them and looked at one of the open scrolls. It had directions to a jutsu that allowed the user to use chakra as a shield; she picked it up with complete interest.

"You are welcome to read anything in this library," Itachi said from behind her. "There are all types of jutsu for all of the elements. There are also medical documents, ancient jutsus along with forbidden jutsus and clan Kekkei Genkai."

Sakura nodded as she started read over the scroll. She was going to have to give this one a try. It would definitely come in handy.

"You're chakra dampening bracelet will be removed by Konan-san later on today," Itachi continued. "If you show any sign of resistance, the Akatsuki will obliterate the Hidden Leaf Village."

Sakura dropped the scroll back on the desk, her eyes widening. The moment they allowed her to have her strength back, she was going to attempt to break out whenever the least amount of members were at the base. That made her plan null and void. She would never do anything to harm her village so she would just have to bear with the Akatsuki's wishes and hope for another possible way of escape.

"You are allowed out of your room from now on under Pain-sama's orders," Itachi continued. "You may use the training grounds and you can spar with any of the Akatsuki who are around. They have orders not to kill you, but injuring you is not an issue."

"Gee thanks," Sakura said sarcastically. "Actually I don't mind that. I want to feel as if they are putting their all into a battle with me. I haven't been told I couldn't try and kill them though."

Itachi moved to her side, but didn't look at her. "Why do you maintain hope in a hopeless situation?"

"It's not hopeless until it's over," Sakura said defiantly. "This isn't the end yet so there is a chance that fate can change."

_Fate doesn't change for everyone,_ Itachi whispered in his mind as he stole a glance at Sakura.

His vision was failing him, but from what he could see, she still had a confident look on her face. This girl was strong not only physically, but she had the mentality to go with it from his understanding or maybe it was all an act. Most women would have broken down by now at the situation, but Sakura was holding strong on her belief that she would get out of the Akatsuki's clutches alive. She reminded him so much of...

Itachi shook away that foreign thought; now was not the time to reminisce on the past that was supposed to have been forgotten. Right now he had to finish explaining to this irritating leaf ninja who was standing in front of him with her a hand cocked on her hip. She rubbed him in all the wrong ways on every occasion he had been in contact with her and that wasn't many. Of course he never showed it, but sometimes he wanted to yell and break things like the Jashinist Hidan. That wasn't in his nature to lose his temper though, it never had been.

"There is only one entrance and exit which is only capable of being opened by what the Akatsuki all share."

"What is that?" Sakura questioned, turning her back to him to pick up another scroll.

"Our rings."

That was right. Every member of the Akatsuki had a ring somewhere on their hand and she also noticed that all the Akatsuki's nails were colored. Itachi's were purple. Strange color for a guy of his stature, but hey, it wasn't her place to say anything.

"Can I look at yours?" Sakura faced him and stepped closer.

Itachi looked down at her solemnly then held out his left hand to her. Sakura took it and studied the ring. It was on his ring finger and it had the kanji symbol for "scarlet" or "bloody" on it. That made sense because the base color of the jewel inside the ring was red. It was actually pretty and it strangely matched with the Sharingan in his eyes. Sakura's other hand reached out to touch the stone. It felt cool and smooth against her fingertips.

Itachi was amused at her change in demeanor. Sakura looked like she was in wonder at just the simple ring. She traced her fingers over it like she had never seen one before. Surely not one like his up close, but she was thoroughly engaged with it. He noticed that her hand that was underneath his open palm was a little smaller than his own. Her hands were covered with her black gloves, but her fingertips were warm and soft against his lower palm and wrist, only slightly calloused from handling weapons. He never thought they would be smooth; she was a kunoichi after all.

Sakura found the Akatsuki ring to be beautiful although she wouldn't stand for someone who had one on, especially not Itachi. She couldn't even believe that she was acting civil around him! He was the reason Sasuke was so bitter towards everyone. Before Sasuke's family died, he wasn't cold and hard like he was now. However, she was analyzing the ring, quick mind working to see if she could make a duplicate one. True, she couldn't escape immediately if she was able to make one, but if she did, she would just have to beat the Akatsuki back to her village or at least warn them. Right now, Sakura realized she would have to see the ring in action before possibly being able to do anything.

Itachi noticed her face growing hard and he already knew what she was thinking about. "Why do you care so much for my little brother?"

"Because he was my friend," she said harshly as she pulled her hands from him. "He was Naruto's friend too...he was a part of Team Seven just like us."

"Friendship is nothing but a fleeting illusion," Itachi responded lowering his hand to his side. "You care for someone, putting all your love and effort into them and then you realize they aren't who you thought they were."

"That isn't true," Sakura whispered.

"It is," Itachi said coldly. "Didn't the same thing happen between you and Sasuke? Did you think that Sasuke would leave Konoha or that he would join with Orochimaru?"

"You don't know him," Sakura said, her voice cracking. "He left in order to grow stronger! That's all!"

Itachi grabbed her chin roughly. She struggled, but with her lack of strength, she couldn't free herself from his grasp. "If his only desire was to kill me, then why did he attempt to harm the Jinchuriki?"

Sakura's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"

"There a lot of things that you aren't aware that I know."

Sakura's hands went to his wrist and she tried to pull her face from his grasp, but he hooked and arm around her waist and pulled her flush against his body. His red eyes bore into her and she made sure not to look him in the eyes. She didn't think she could anyway with the painful things he said. He was right, Sasuke didn't care for Naruto or her. Deep in her heart Sakura knew that, but she kept hope alive and it took hearing it from the one who had a hand in Sasuke's personality change to make her understand. It was right after Itachi had come looking for Naruto and encountered Sasuke that he left soon after.

Rage boiled over her features. "You don't know what it's like to have a bond with someone anymore!" Itachi blinked and Sakura continued. "You are all alone. The Akatsuki only see you as a tool for furthering their goals. You have no family or friends to spend time with. You don't remember what it's like to have someone love and care about you!"

Itachi released her and gave her the coldest stare she had ever seen. So icy that she almost shivered. "I chose this life. Those bonds you speak of only serve to cloud a person's judgment and hinder them from making the right choice."

"That might be true Itachi," Sakura said lifting her chin as watery viridian orbs gazed at her torturer, "but it's those bonds that can make a person stronger. I know that for a fact."

They stared at each other for a moment before Itachi turned and began walking out of the library.

"Do not go into Pain-sama's room," he said, stopping and placing his handle on the door. "I'm going to lay back down. When you get hungry, go fix yourself something to eat. There is a lounging room across the hall from this one. Feel free to use it."

Sakura didn't follow as he left; her shoulders were shaking with rage and brokenness. She couldn't wait to get the chakra bracelet off her arm because as soon as she did, Itachi was going to be the first one she took her anger out on. She wouldn't be able to defeat him, Sakura knew that already, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to beat some sense into him.

The young girl sighed and moved over to a shaded window she had noticed and pulled the curtains aside to let more light into the room. It was raining hard outside, but there was no indication of what country should could possibly be in. All she saw was large buildings so it was clear she had never been to this village before.

Shaking away thoughts, Sakura began looking through the rest of the libraries contents, finding herself browsing through Kekkei Genkais of clans. She saw a section labeled Uchiha and curiosity took over her. Sakura pulled out a large book that had information on the Sharingan in it. She opened it and began to read through its contents. This wouldn't aid her in her medical knowledge, but she did want to learn more about it. Sakura knew that it wasn't activated at birth like the Byakugan. It was activated when the user experienced some traumatic emotional stress, like the loss of people close them.

_Sasuke first used his when Itachi murderer their people,_ Sakura thought bitterly.

She flipped the page and it had diagrams of the Sharingan in the different stages. The little commas that were in their eye were called tomoe. The Sharingan was fully mature when there were three, which she noted both Itachi and Sasuke were already at that stage, but she could remember that the first time Sakura saw her teammate use his, it only had two.

She saw other information that she already knew like the user being about to memorize taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu with astounding accuracy. Her eyes scanned the next page that discussed the Mangekyo Sharingan. Sakura heard the design of the Mangekyo differed between users. Itachi and Kakashi-sensei had the same pinwheel appearance, but others could be different.

Sakura kept reading for a few minutes and was about to close the book with something caught her eye. The Mangekyo Sharingan destroyed the users sight until they eventually become completely blind. The only way to fix that was to take the eyes of another Sharingan user.

"Itachi always uses his Sharingan," Sakura said quietly as she closed her book and returned it to its place. "That must mean he's losing his sight. He might be half way blind by now."

Despite how much she hated Itachi, she kind of felt bad that the man was losing his vision, but then she didn't because she shouldn't pity a mass murderer.

Sakura stood up and stretched, her back popping soothingly and left the library. She knew that this would be where she spent most of her time because knowledge was something she craved. She began walking back towards her room, watching her bare feet as she walked, her mind still wandering on the Sharingan's downside when she ran into someone. She looked up and cringed.

There was the cannibal Zetsu standing before her. Sakura realized that he was even bigger than Kisame because of the plant around his head. He was creepy looking and she really didn't like being alone with him. He might be under orders not to eat her, but she definitely didn't want to be around him when he was hungry. That intense gaze he was giving her didn't help ease the situation at all.

"Zetsu?" Sakura asked taking a cautious step back.

"**Yes Sakura?** _Do not look at me like that; I have orders not to eat you remember_?"

"You really mean eat me?" Sakura asked incredulously. "As in munch on me like I'm food?"

"**You are food**," Zetsu answered, "_but like I said, I won't eat you...yet_."

"Yet?" she questioned. "I'd rather it be never thanks."

The white half laughed. "_Don't get your hopes up_."

After that, the strange plant man walked past her and her eyes widened when she saw him move to the wall and walk through it. The Akatsuki sure had a bunch of weirdos.

Sakura went back to her room and sprawled on the bed. Her mind was reeling with the time she spent with Itachi today. The kunoichi would have never thought she would see into him a little, but now understood something: despite that he say otherwise, Itachi was lonely. Sakura wasn't going to try and be the one to comfort him though. That was not part of the hostage deal.


	6. What Should I Do?

**Thank you Bubblegum370, Nallux, Fumimi, and Weaslandcherry for reviewing =). Sorry for the absence. Life has been really busy lately.**

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It was late that afternoon and Sakura was getting ready to return to her room when she was met by Konan. She remembered Itachi let her know that she would be taking the bracelet off her today and it made sense that she was the one to do so because she put it on her. She smiled at the woman who was gazing at her silently.

"Konan-sa...Konan," Sakura said, remembering the woman told her not to worry about formalities.  
A miniscule smile crossed her lips as she motioned for Sakura to follow her. Sakura thought they were going to go back to her room, but instead they took the hallway down the middle. It struck the young girl that this was the way to Pain-sama's quarters. What were they going to his room for? Sakura felt herself feeling on edge. Although Pain had been pleasant with her besides the threat on her life, she still was very aware of his power. The less time she spent in Pain's presence, the better chance she had to live.

There was a door at the left end of the hallway and Konan touched it, pouring her chakra into it. An unseen lock clicked and the door slid upwards. Konan glided into the room and Sakura followed silently into the dimmed space.

"Pain," Konan called.

Sakura noticed she didn't put any suffix on the end of his name. That made her believe that they definitely had a deeper relationship than what they led on. Although she shouldn't, Sakura found it kind of romantic. What Sakura did notice was that their persona was very similar. They were calm and collected, but the differences were in their appearance. Pain had a warm look while Konan's was cool. Sakura supposed it was because of their hair that she felt that way.

The Akatsuki leader stepped forward out of another room door. Rinnegan irises looked over at Sakura and he called her name in recognition. Sakura nodded in response as Pain came to stand a few feet away from her. Once again she felt his immense aura nearly pressing her into the floor and his gaze seemed to spear right through her.

"Two of our members will be returning next week," he said in his smooth, cold voice. "You will heal one of them. He will not die as he is immortal, but he will need patching. The other you need not worry about."

Sakura nodded again, her heart sinking. Here was her first job as a traitor to her people. She really didn't want to heal this guy, but if she didn't do as they asked, they would surely hurt the villagers. Pain did not look like the type to have any remorse and that was not something Sakura was going to test. His demeanor was nonexistent except for the icy feeling that radiated off him; it was almost as if he was just a corpse. Sakura began to wonder how he became who he was today. Was he always so frigid and merciless? She knew that when Sasuke was younger, he was completely different than how he was before Itachi killed their clan. He was outgoing and nice, but everything changed on that night.

Sakura was more interested in figuring out which of the Akatsuki members would be coming back. She had already met Kisame, Deidara, Tobi, Zetsu, Konan, and of course Itachi. Pain said that one of them was immortal, which meant that it had to be that crazed lunatic she heard about named Hidan. She knew quite a bit about him. He was a member of a religion called Jashinism, a practice surrounding pain and sacrifice. It was from this devotion that he had become immortal in the first place although it really wasn't known how.

If it was that bastard, then the other must be his partner Kakuzu. She had seen a picture of him in the Bingo Book. He didn't even look human from what she could see and that wasn't much. Only his eyes were visible and they were an eerie green with the sclera being a reddish color. The rest of his face was covered by a mask similar to Kakashi's and his head was covered as well. He must be creepy looking under all his dressings, but that wouldn't surprise Sakura with the strange people she had seen so far.

"Sakura."

She snapped out of her trance. "Yes."

Pain remained silent and he looked over at Konan. The woman reached for Sakura's arm and with the other, her fingers began moving strangely as if she were folding something. When Sakura looked closer, she could see she was indeed folding some unknown substance in her hand. From the feel she was getting from it, it had to be chakra. When she finished, Sakura saw it was a key. The pink-haired medical nin had no idea how she was able to do that and was completely fascinated with it, green eyes alight with interest.

Konan placed the key over the bracelet; they both began to glow blue and then the key disappeared. Konan unclasped the bracelet and stepped back. Sakura now understood why she hadn't been able to pull the clasp off every time she tried when it had first been put on her. That didn't matter now though, it was off and she could feel her chakra flowing freely through her body. It felt like someone had turned up the dial on her strength. She flexed her arms; feeling the amazing sensation of her power coursing through her body was a familiar touch she had missed dearly.

"Thank you Konan," Sakura said as she smiled at her. Maybe if she was able to get close to these members, she could use it to her advantage later on down the line.

Konan returned the gester tightly. Pain dismissed Sakura and told her that Itachi would tell her when the two rogue ninjas arrived the following week. Sakura bowed slightly to Pain and exited. Konan turned to look at her companion.

"She's something else isn't she?"

Pain's gaze turned to her as Konan moved into his arms. "She reminds me of how you were when you were a child."

Konan smiled into his shoulder. When she was young, her personality was similar to Sakura's, but that was only after she had met Jiraiya-sensei. It was that white-haired man who gave them a reason to live. That reason was unfortunately snatched away when Yahiko was taken from them. Nagato might have been able to savage his body, but it wasn't Yahiko, this was Pain. Nonetheless, she loved him all the same along with Nagato. This was how her closest friend was able to hold her and fight for their cause. It was all through Yahiko's former body.

Konan loved Nagato and Yahiko very much. They both meant everything to her. It seemed as if she was losing Nagato also; he was in such terrible shape with having to control the six paths of Pain the way he did. Perhaps this girl could help in some way or another. Konan really believed in Nagato's philosophy for peace, but his life was more important to her than that.

Pain tipped her chin back and she felt his soft, cold lips press against hers. When she pulled back, she whispered Nagato's name softly. Pain's facial expression did not change, it never did. He pulled her into his bedroom and Konan silently closed the door behind her. She knew Pain was just a vessel as Nagato could no longer use his own body to satisfy her, but she did not mind at all.

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Jounin and Chunin stood in the Hokage's office waiting to find out what was going to happen from there on out. The Toad Sage and one of the Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, was standing next to Lady Tsunade's desk. His arms were folded over his chest, his long spiky white hair pulled into its usual ponytail. The generations had really changed since he was younger. People wouldn't have been so ready to fight the Akatsuki over one person. Well he knew it went deeper than that, but if the truth be told, that was the reason why this plan had been formulated from the beginning. Sakura Haruno was truly an asset to the Leaf Village and with her in their hands, things could get dangerous. On top of that, they would have had to battle the Akatsuki one day so it was better to get to them before they grew any stronger.

Shikamaru stepped forward and placed his hands in his pockets. "This is how things are going to go. We've set up who is going where and you will stay in your location until told otherwise. The hand held raido sets have been altered to talk to the closest team to you despite how far it is. We have sent letters to each country that holds a Jinchuriki to let them know of our proposal. Each has agreed so far although we have not heard from Kumogakure about the Eight-Tailed beast host Killer Bee. We expect to hear from them soon.

"You each will be leaving every few days as not to draw too much attention to enemy countries. We will have Jiraiya-sama, Iruka-sensei, and myself here. Also the Sand Village has offered their help to protect this village and my team's fathers will also remain along with the Hyuuga clan's members."

In the far corner stood the Sand Siblings, Gaara with his arms crossed over his chest and a serious look that was nearly always on his features, his teal eyes barely seeming to blink. Kankuro stood to his right, in the same position except a smirk was on his face; his purple face paint seemed to bring out that smug look. Temari walked forward and leaned an arm on Shikamaru's shoulder. She placed her large fan over her own shoulder and smirked at him. Her blonde hair was in its four ponytails and she laid her head against her arm that was on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"That's right," she said." Shikamaru here let us know what was going on and we agreed to help protect your village for as long as you need it."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. This woman was so damn troublesome and it got annoying how she always draped herself on his shoulder although he had grown used to the feeling and felt weird without it. He was glad to see her, but he wouldn't admit that to her. Now wasn't the time for that anyway. They would be alone later because she would be staying with him and his family while Gaara and Kankuro remained in the Hokage tower. That would allow him plenty of time to enjoy one of the activities women were made for.

"We thank you for your help," Tsunade said from her stance behind her desk.

Kankuro smiled cockily and Gaara simply grunted in response. Shikamaru shrugged Temari off his shoulder and shot her a "wait until tonight" look. She chuckled and moved back over to her brothers. Gaara frowned as his eyes followed his sister. Although he was younger than her, he still felt instincts kick in whenever Shikamaru was around. The former host was nowhere near stupid so he was aware of what that lazy bastard and his sister were doing and he didn't like it.

"Alright," Shikamaru continued. "The first group will be going to Iwagakure in the Earth Country where both the Four-Tailed Monkey and the Five-Tailed Dolphin Horse reside. The ones who will be going are Shino, Chouji, Shizune, and Temari. Temari has agreed to help with protecting the Jinchuriki because her strategic skills will be needed on the field. You will leave tomorrow. Shizune will be the Team Captain."

They nodded and soon everyone exited except for Jiraiya, the Hokage, Shikamaru, the Sand Siblings, Naruto, and Kakashi. Naruto was getting very impatient and it could be seen on his face. He looked beyond angry and it was to be expected. Kidnapping his friends was not something Naruto took lightly. He wasn't going to allow the Akatsuki to get away with what they were doing so thoughts of Sasuke had to be put on hold to get Sakura first. She was the one who was in danger right how.

Naruto moved forward and slammed his fists on Tsunade's desk, a habit that he expressed more often than not. "When do I get to leave Granny? I'm getting tired of just sitting here when Sakura could be in danger!"

Tsunade rubbed her temples trying to keep her temper in check. "We can't rush into things Naruto. You will leave when you are told to."

He growled and stomped angrily out of the double doors. Kakashi shrugged his shoulders and jumped from the window. Shizune excused herself to go visit the patients in the hospital and set up the medical ninja who would take her place while she was gone. She took Gaara and Kankuro with her to show them where they would be staying at. Gaara stopped when he reached the door and turned to Temari.

"Don't do anything that will make me kill him...or you."

Temari laughed. "Of course not little brother."

"Hn," was Gaara's response and they exited.

Jiraiya began to move towards the doors as well, but Tsunade's voice stopped him. "And just where are you going?"

Jiraiya stopped in his tracks and chuckled. "Oh you know. Off to do a little training."  
"Does this 'training' involve peeking on unsuspecting women?"

Jiraiya scratched the side of his face and continued chuckling. "Of course not. See ya later Tsunade."

He exited before the Hokage could say anything more. She glared after him and sat down then looked over at Shikamaru. "Well why the hell are you still here?"

"Women," Shikamaru muttered as he left the Hokage's office.

Temari was next to him smiling. "What about women?"

"Troublesome."

Temari chuckled as she pushed the Shadow Possessor against the wall, pressing her body against his. "Why don't I show you just how 'troublesome' we can be?"

Shikamaru smirked. His woman really could be perverse. She never seemed to grow tired of sex, but it wasn't like he minded. She was the one who introduced him to it and he had to say that he was an expert by the middle of the first session. They had been dating for about six months now, he had recently turned sixteen three months ago and that had been her present to him. Shikamaru had to say that was the greatest birthday he ever had.

The lazy genius grasped her hips and kissed the spot on her neck that he knew made her shudder. She was the only one who could pull him out of his laid back demeanor. She whipped him into shape and he could almost say she had him wrapped around her finger...almost.

His body was growing hot as she pressed her full breasts into his chest. Temari's body was perfect for him; she curved in all the right spots. She wasn't thin, but she wasn't too big either, just the right amount of meat on her and it looked healthy just the way he liked it. If only she could convince Ino that guys didn't like twigs. Then again, Temari was a woman while Ino was still a girl. She was eighteen and sure acted like it. It wasn't that many years older than him, but it didn't really matter anyway. Even if she was twenty-two, she would still be his woman.

"Can't you wait until we get to my house at least?" he whispered, his hand slipping up the slit in her black kimono. He always liked the fact that the slit was up so high. "Wouldn't wanna make Gaara mad. Would be a drag if I didn't get what I want."

Temari pulled way from him and smirked. She motioned for him to follow her with a finger. Shikamaru sent her a lazy smile and shoved his hands in his pockets as he shuffled after her.  
Soon they were in front of his house. Temari went to the part of him house where he and his father often played Shogi. He knew his mother wasn't home since she didn't come out to greet them. His mom absolutely adored his girlfriend. She constantly tried to convince her to stay in Konoha, but Temari said it would have to be once Gaara was an adult and who knew if they would still be together by then. He knew the wind princess wasn't going anywhere anytime soon though. If his mother was out, that meant that she had most likely dragged his father along with her so they were alone.

Shikamaru followed the blonde into the room where they had two bed mats laid on the floor. The shogi board was in the middle of the room and Temari had her things in the far right corner. Shikamaru closed the shoji panel behind him and watched Temari take her fan off her back and put it on the floor next to her other things.

She gazed at him and laid on one of the mats, crossing her right leg over her left and giving him a good view of the backs of her well shaped thighs. Shikamaru would never get tired of looking at her creamy skin; she was perfect for him.

Shikamaru shrugged off his jacket and untied his hitai-ate, leaving his mesh shirt. He left his shoes next the door, moved over to the sand shinobi, and got on his knees in front of her crossed legs. "You plan on opening these or what?"

"Well let's talk first," she responded smirking at him and propping herself up on her elbows, dark green eyes sparkling with amusement.

Shikamaru frowned. Of course she would tease him first, but he knew he wouldn't get what he wanted if he didn't talk. The male rolled over to sit, pulling one leg up to rst his chin on. "What do you want to talk about?"

Temari gazed at the door for a moment before looking up at him. "Do you really think this plan will work? I mean, it seems so farfetched and if the Akatsuki or anyone else decided to attack the Leaf Village, it would be left vulnerable to attack."

That was another thing Shikamaru liked about this woman, she didn't cut any corners with him and told him honestly what she thought. She was intelligent and was almost as clever with tactics as he was...almost.

"We will be stretched a little thin for a while," Shikamaru said honestly, "but it will be a short period as the our teams return and if they have the Jinchuriki with them, we may be able to count on their help."

"Don't you think the other villages are going to get angry about us collecting the Jinchuriki," the wind princess asked. "Even though we are gathering them in one place to prevent the Akatsuki from taking them, others may see it as us trying to make the Fire Nation the most powerful. The whole reason the Tailed Beasts were spread out was to balance the power."

That much was true. They were in a lose lose situation. If the Jinchuriki stayed where they were, the Akatsuki would surely collect them all and come after Naruto. Even if the first attempt was not successful, those rouge ninjas would continue to come after him unless they were destroyed. Still, they had Sakura and the Shadow ninja knew that Naruto would do anything to get her back.

"They may."

They remained silent for a moment and Shikamaru realized that his woman had drifted off to sleep. He knew that she better come back safe from this mission. He couldn't bear to lose someone close to him. He had to put his faith in the other Leaf Village ninja to make sure everyone came home safely, no casualties were wanted. Shikamaru knew that it would probably be unavoidable, but he wanted as few a possible.

Shikamaru moved her next to him and Temari let out a breathy sigh as she continued to sleep. Everything was going to get worse from this moment on and he hoped the others were ready for it. Asuma-sensei taught them everything they needed to know to be a successful ninja and on top of that he, Chouji, and Ino were training with their parents in order to master their families Kekkei Genkai. He was sure the others were training just as hard and he found himself thinking positive like a certain blonde future Hokage.


	7. Why Am I Thinking These Things?

**Thank you Weselandcherry and Theirastra Uchiha for reviewing!**

**Omg, I'm so sorry guys. I've been so busy revamping some of my old fics and working on the new ones. I recently posted a new story called Would You Quit Annoying Me. It's like the "how to annoy the characters"stories only these are short stories, each chapter around one character.**

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Itachi woke up coughing in the middle of the night like he had been for months. He turned on his side and picked up the towel he kept by his bed wiping the blood from his mouth and hands as he sat up. The traitor had to feel for it because his eye sight had gotten so bad that he couldn't see in the dim lighting of his room. He knew that he would go blind soon from using the Sharingan so much and also from keeping it activated constantly. Only when he was in his room did he turn it off, but that didn't increase his vision when he did.

He sat up and ran his fingers through his raven hair that was cascading around his bare shoulders. He could hardly make out the drawer that was only a mere six feet away from him. Itachi laid back and reminisced on what got him where he in the first place. It had been quite a few years since he had destroyed his clan and he still felt no remorse for it. He never would. He had his reasons and they were nobody's but his own. There was no one in this world that he needed to answer to anyway.

The ex Konoha shinobi began to think of the current events that had happened so far. He had brought the pink haired kuniochi back to the Akatsuki hideout about two weeks ago. She knew just how to make him want to kill her, but he couldn't; she might be useful to him. Sakura's spirit made her strong and he was beginning to think that she would become even more powerful if she trained. Maybe one day she would be able to take him down, then again he doubted she would ever grow that strong. Even so, Itachi wasn't afraid for his life. He was sure of who would bring his death, but there were issues behind that which he had to deal with first.

He visualized his little prisoner in his mind. He could see her more clearly than if she had been standing right in front of him. Her fuchsia colored hair and beryl orbs were very abstract features, but when compared to her pale skin, it fit her perfectly. He hadn't seen anyone with looks like Sakura's.

Itachi frowned. He didn't care about how a sixteen year old girl looked. The only thing he should be doing is keeping her alive. He had no attachments to anyone, not even the Demon of the Mist, Kisame. His strength was respected yes, but if he died, that would be of no concern to Itachi. That wasn't what was on his conscious though; it was that girl and he didn't understand why. Sure he had been forced to endure her, but that didn't mean anything. Perhaps he was growing used to Sakura's presence. He still did not like being around her, but he tolerated her for now. She was somewhat interesting and although he did not show any emotion, he was one to grow bored quickly.

Tomorrow Hidan and Kakuzu would be returning. The immortal man was foul mouthed and quick tempered so Itachi wondered how his encounter with the Konoha medic would go over. He didn't know, but he would find out in a few hours. It would probably be mass stupidity if he knew Sakura well enough.

Itachi put the bloodied towel back on the floor next to his bed and attempted to fall back asleep.

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It was four o'clock in the morning and Sakura was sitting up staring at the grey walls of her room. She wanted to go home so badly. The empty feeling she felt from how much she missed her friends, her mentors like Kakashi-sensei, and her master Tsunade was almost too much to bear. Such a dark, void sensation was in her chest. Like someone had taken a kunai and carved a hole straight through her. Losing contact with her friends felt just as bad as physical pain. Sakura missed going to Ichiraku's place and helping the wounded at the hospital, but most of all she missed Naruto. She knew that he was worried for her and that he would come.

Sakura pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her chin on top of them, wrapping her arms around her legs. The young kunoichi knew that when her friends came after her that they would get hurt and maybe some of them would die. Last time Itachi had came to town with Kisame Kakashi-sensei had been in the hospital for a long time without a single mark on his body and Kisame hadn't even fought yet. They were extremely powerful and dangerous so it was only natural that she was worried for them.

No. She had to trust in her village, in her teammates, and in Naruto. She wondered how long they would look for her. The Elders would try to put a stop to it after a while so she hoped they would find her before then. She still didn't have an opportunity to escape and even if she did, Itachi would probably drag her back or if the rogue ninjas thought she was no longer needed, Zetsu would come to devour her. If the Akatsuki ever trusted her to go out anywhere, they most likely have her chakra bracelet put back on and only taken off when she had to do some of their bidding.

She really hated being a puppy for the Akatsuki and having to follow their every command. The issue wasn't that Sakura feared her own life, but for the ones she cared about. She knew that Pain-sama wouldn't hesitate to hurt them if she didn't listen to his commands. Sakura scoffed at herself. She had to call her enemy "sama" and it bugged her more than anything, but she knew how to act when it was needed. It really was taking a huge toll on her pride.

If she was truly honest with herself though, Sakura knew that they hadn't treated her badly. Konan-san was nice whenever she came in contact with her which wasn't very often. She absolutely loved Tobi; he was just so playful and hilarious to be around. It was funny watching how easily he could anger Deidara accidentally. Just yesterday, explosion artist was eating cookies and refused to share so Tobi told him that one of his clay spiders had gotten out. Deidara looked for only a brief moment then realized that there couldn't be any of his art unless he made it first, but it was too late. Tobi had swiped over half of the sweets and was crunching happily on them. Deidara chased Tobi throughout the entire base until he caught him and used his clay to blow him miles away.

The prisoner found herself trying to stifle laughter as she remembered. Her favorite person to talk to had surprisingly been Kisame. He was so down to Earth and funny...and _human _despite his features_. _All of them were; they ate, slept, and did everything else that normal people did. It was hard thinking that a band of dangerous shinobi did these things for some reason. Sakura guessed it was because she felt that bad guys had to do strange things. She didn't know what, but finding out that they were normal was a surprise to her. Maybe Zetsu would pull a human arm out of the refrigerator or Kisame had to go to the ocean and catch fish, eating them raw like a real shark. When Sakura admitted it, her stay hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be. Only every once in a while did she clash with Itachi, but with her strength returned, she could ward off his fists although a way to avoid his Sharingan hadn't been discovered yet. The Uchiha hadn't put her in genjutsu lately, but Sakura still wanted to learn how to avoid it for future reference. Thinking of Itachi reminded her that once she returned home, she and Naruto would find Sasuke and drag him back home. True, the pink-haired girl knew Sasuke didn't care about them, but he sure as hell wasn't going to get away with abandoning them for that slimy bastard Orochimaru.

The thought of him also brought a sour look to her face. Itachi really got under her skin easily; he just acted like royalty or something and that irked her. He was the lowest of the low because only those types of people would destroy their clan without any hint of remorse. Sakura sometimes did wonder though if there was more to the story than she or anyone else knew. Oh well, she wouldn't ponder on that right now. The thing was she was still having dreams about him often and each one ended up with her in his embrace. She was getting tired of it as she would never let Itachi hug her willingly and he didn't come off as that type of guy anyway. The confused young woman didn't know what was causing these dreams, but she knew she wanted them to stop and pronto.

The young girl yawned and laid back down in her black, silk sheets. She was going to have to heal these other two members of the Akatsuki she hasn't met yet later on today and she was sure that Itachi would wake her up before they arrived so she had to be ready. She also needed to eat so she would have her strength. There was no telling how banged up they would be.

Sakura pulled the sheets over her shoulders and fell asleep once more.

It felt as if Sakura had just closed her eyes when she heard her room door being opened. She ignored the man she knew was staring at her, believing she would just get up because of his presence like she usually did. After a few moments, Itachi called her name. She continued to feign sleep, keeping her chakra flowing evenly like it would if she really were asleep. She heard shuffling and felt his presence beside her bed. She figured if he called her name again, she would grunt sleepily and turn over like she had seen Naruto do so many times when she attempted to wake him.

Sakura was surprised when he just stood there. Why hadn't he called her name again? That was strange for him. She continued waiting for a few moments, but after knowing that he was there and wasn't doing anything, her curious nature got the better of her. The puzzled girl was about to open her eyes, but she felt the bed sink slightly as if someone sat on it or placed their weight down. Her heart started beating a mile a minute; what in the world was Itachi doing?

Itachi watched the kuniochi as she lay in her bed, covers thrown carelessly over her legs. Her white tank top was up slightly and her black shorts were pulled down by her hips so her flat stomach was exposed. His eyes became transfixed on the supple skin and he had an urge to reach out and touch it. He refrained himself from such pathetic actions. Why would touching this girl who was like a thorn in his side be something he wanted?

He didn't have the answer to that question and instead, he did something else questionable: Itachi leaned over her, placing on hand on each side of Sakura's figure. She was on her side and her fists were balled in front of her chest delicately. What a lie that was with how much strength she could possess in those small hands. The Akatsuki member watched her breathe for what seemed like eternity, gazing as his prisoner's chest rose and fell. He realized how strange his actions were and had no intent on letting them continue. Itachi knew that the girl was not sleeping and he had to get her up before Kakuzu and Hidan arrived; he would kick her out of bed if she was stubborn enough to continue this game.

"Sakura," his calm voice called. "You are not asleep now get up."

She didn't move for a second, but then viridian orbs opened slowly. Sakura gasped when she realized how close Itachi was. He was so close that she could see the three tomoe in the Sharingan. His long, ebony hair was in its loose ponytail and a few strands were free, leaving a feather like touch on her shoulders as its silky texture teased her skin, causing it to quiver from the tickling sensation it left. Nevertheless, the fact that Itachi was nearer than he ever had been was unnerving. That bastard was in her bubble of comfort and that simply wouldn't fly.

"Why the hell are you so close!" she nearly shouted as he got off and she sat up.

"Get up," he said coldly, ignoring her question.

She wasn't going to let him get off that easily. Sakura wanted to know just why the heck he was leaning over her; it seemed as if the Sharingan user was studying her and there was no logical reason that she could think of to explain why. The determined female stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "I asked you a question Itachi."

"And I chose not to answer," he responded, turning his back to her. "Do your morning routine and let's go. You must eat before they arrive."

Sakura was fuming now. This asshole thought he could just hover over her and then not tell her why? That was beyond irritating, but for now she would let it go lest they ended up wrestling on her floor. Sakura huffed and went to the bathroom. She wasn't going to bother changing clothes because she had showered the night before and there was no reason why she couldn't stay in her pajamas. It wasn't like she was going to be fighting anyone or going anywhere today. Well if Itachi kept up his weird behavior, they just might end up scuffling and and she would wring that scrawny neck of his.

Sakura brushed her teeth, washed her face then combed her pink locks. Once she was finished, she bumped past Itachi and walked towards the door. Sakura tried to catch her breath after he slammed her into the floor. Well at least he was versatile in his attacks, but she wasn't going to take this. She kicked him off and smashed his back into the tile, moved over him, and aimed a chakra enhanced punch at his face which he caught.

"Stop thinking you can just man handle me whenever you feel like it," Sakura said through gritted teeth. "I'm sick of it Itachi."

He didn't answer nor did he attempt to throw her off. He just sat there, Sharingan eyes staring at her and his face vacant as usual as she straddled his waist. Sakura matched his gaze, refusing to back down to him in anything although iywas idiotic, as if she were asking to be put in genjutsu. They looked at each other for what seemed like hours even if it was only a few moments. Sakura's jade orbs began to look over his features. Sasuke was nearly his twin except Itachi's skin was a shade or two darker than his little brother's. Most likely from all the time he had to spend outside before he had joined the Akatsuki. Even then, they traveled from town to town gathering the information that they needed. He also had deep lines on his face which looked like it was from lack of sleep. His dark eyebrows were furrowed and although she couldn't see all of his face, Sakura knew he was wearing the same expression he always had.

Despite her wrath, the female ninja found herself blushing realizing that Sasuke would most likely look just like Itachi when he was an adult. She wasn't sure if she wanted that. It wasn't that Itachi wasn't attractive, it was just she didn't want to think of him when she looked at Sasuke. Blushing because of a realization like that didn't make sense at all to her. The human body sure could be a nuisance.

_Dammit, that's the second time I've said he was attractive. Well, I may hate him, but I can't deny the obvious._

Sakura's once scowling face turned soft. Another thing she realized is that he never smiled or anything close to it. It was like he had thrown away all of his emotions, but there had to be something that brought some sort of reaction out of him, but what was it? That was one thing that annoyed her about herself: Sakura had never been one to stay angry for a long period of time. She despised Itachi, but now something else had her attention.

Her fingers found the zipper on his cloak by his half covered face and unzipped it a little.

"What are you doing?" came the frosty voice of the man that was looking at her with a deadly expression.

"You never smile," she murmured, revealing his mouth to her. She studied the thin lips intensely and placed a gentle finger tip next to them. "Why is that?"

"I have nothing to smile about," he responded and suddenly, his body turned into crows and he disappeared from underneath her.

Sakura turned to see Itachi standing behind her and watched as he began gliding out of the room. "Let's go, _now."_

Sakura stood, completely ready to go on a rampage because he had put her in genjutsu once again. Was that the only way he would interact with those he didn't want to; give them an illusionary version of himself instead of talking to them? He was childish if you asked Sakura and that made her seething mad. She willed her heart to stop pounding from what had transpired and followed him to the kitchen fully intending to remain pissed at that irritance.

Surprisingly, there was no one in the kitchen this morning. Sakura had hoped someone would be so she wouldn't be alone with Itachi. Fortunately, he stayed on the other half of the kitchen, eating his usual fruit breakfast. She noticed that he ate oranges the most so it must be his favorite fruit. Sakura shook her head and willed herself to stop noticing things like that.

As she ate, she heard him trying to suppress coughing. Sakura's eyebrows furrowed; that didn't sound like a normal cough. It was forced as if trying to clear the air way, but from the way it sounded there was nothing to clear. It was a dry cough. Curious irises gazed him as she heard the sink water turned on. She had heard him coughing before and it was always the same dry cough. It was obvious he was ill, but Sakura hoped it wasn't what she thought it was.

Silently getting up from the table, Sakura got up to put her plate in the sink. She stood next to him and as she did so and alarm bells sounded in her mind as she saw trails of crimson going down the sink.

_He's coughing up blood, _Sakura thought as she turned her gaze away. _That definitely is not good._

"Itachi."

He looked over at her when she called his name, but didn't say anything further. "What do you have?" He continued to look at her as if not understanding her question so she continued. "What's making you cough?"

"A cold," he said simply.

Sakura put her hands on her hips. "Lying to a medic will get you no where."

"It is not your concern," Itachi answered as he moved away. "Come, Leader-sama has informed me that they have arrived. Your medic materials are in another room behind the library. It contains all the items you will need in order to fix Hidan. You do not have to worry about Kakuzu as he prefers that he mend himself."

"Alright," Sakura said as she followed him out, deciding to drop the issue for now. She was thinking hard on those coughing fits he kept having, but she couldn't help him if he didn't want her help. She might not like him, but she was still a medic and it was his health itself that she was concerned about, not really him. At least, that's the way she thought it was.

They walked down the silent hallways and when they reached the large throne room Sakura could see two people walking towards them.

"Oi, Kakuzu you're such a prick!" yelled the one with silver hair slicked back on his head. The thing was his head was talking, but it wasn't attached to his body. The rest of him was carrying the head the crook of his right arm. His Akatsuki robe was covered in blood and torn in different places. To put it bluntly, he was a mess.

Next to him walked a man who was pretty much covered everywhere. A grey material covered his head and neck along with a dark face mask similar to Kakashi-sensei's. She could see his eyes though and was thought they were the strangest things she ever saw especially when it was live and in person not on a picture in the Bingo Book. She wondered if that was from burst blood vessels in his eyes or if they were naturally like that. Either way, it was creepy.

"Shut up Hidan," he growled. "Do not blame me for you always getting nearly killed every time you go on a mission."

"I mean for not sewing my damn head back on you dick!" Hidan's head shouted.

"Hn, maybe you shouldn't have gotten beheaded in the first place."

Sakura just watched them in amusement. Were all of the Akatsuki this comical? It sometimes made her forget that they were as powerful as they were, but she always kept it in mind because it wasn't a mistake that she was going to make.

"Kakuzu, Hidan."

They looked at Itachi as they came closer. Hidan's violet eyes gazed at Sakura and annoyance filled her as she saw a smirk appear on his face. That couldn't be good. "Who's this?"

"Sakura Haruno," Itachi answered. "She is a medic who will be assisting you in your healing."

Kakuzu continued walking past them as if he hadn't even seen them. She didn't mind though; that guy's creepy face was starting to get to her so he could leave for all she cared. She had a feeling she was going to have trouble with the other one though. It was obvious from the way he started to circle her. It wasn't a good feeling having a headless guy waltzing around.

"Are you going to dress up in one of those nurse's outfits?" he asked. "I like role-playing every once in a while."

"Fat chance," Sakura spat. She felt a sharp sensation on her bottom and when she whirled around, Hidan's face was near where her butt had been. _"Did you just bite my ass!"_

"Maybe," he said smirking. "I can bite, lick, or fuck anything of yours."

Sakura was nearly shaking with rage. She grabbed the severed head, tossed it into the air, gathered chakra in her foot and booted it like a soccer ball. "You pig!"

Hidan's head collided face first into the stone walls with a sickening crunch. His head then fell to the ground and bounced a few times before coming to a halt. She could see from where she stood that his nose was broken and a few teeth were no longer lodged where they used to be.

"Ow," he said quietly at first then he grew louder. "That fucking hurt you bitch!"

"It did, didn't it?" she asked smirking.

Next thing she knew, the body's arms were wrapped tightly around her own. She exhaled. Did he really think he could beat her when it came to a match of strength? If he did, he was sadly mistaken as he as was about to find out. Sakura felt his hand go into her tank top and cup her breasts. Her eyes widened with disbelief. Hidan was groping her like it was no big deal!

"Damn, these are fucking soft," his head purred from across the room. "I think I'll have to taste them later."

Sakura was about to beat his body into a bloody pulp when Itachi's voice sounded. "Release her Hidan."

His head looked at the Uchiha and smirked. "Oh, is she your bitch Itachi?"

Sakura grew angrier at the terminology he used when describing her. She was no bitch in any sense, but he was going to feel like she was when she got finished with him. She grabbed his arms and wrenched them away from her body, swung Hidan's headless form, released it and felt her insides warm with content as it slammed into a wall like his head had done.

"That fucking hurt!" he whined again, feeling the full affect of the broken spine that he now had. That's what he deserved. She had better get to healing him though or she would just continue to make more work for herself. Sakura walked over to the body and grasped it by the collar, dragging it behind her like a sack of manure. She then went over to the head and raked some of the gel out of his hair so she could haul him by it.

"Would you stop manhandling me you dumb bitch!" he snapped.

"Shut the hell up before I do some more damage to your body," she said calmly as she continued dragging both pieces of him. Itachi followed silently after them. He was told to oversee her procedures and make sure she didn't attempt to do anything that would allow her to escape. Hidan didn't have to worry about anything due to his immortality. They continued the way that Kakuzu and Hidan just come from down to the library. Once they were in, Sakura stood aside to let Itachi lead the way to the room where she was supposed to fix up Hidan. They moved past the large shelves of books all the way to the back where a door was.

Itachi turned to Sakura. "This door will be locked and unlocked by your chakra. Place your hand on it and pour a bit of chakra into it. It will be the first chakra this door has ever sensed and it will only accept your chakra from now on. It doesn't need chakra to exit the room. However Leader can enter it if he so wishes."

Sakura liked the idea of having her own little private area. Anyone could barge into her room, but this room was locked by her chakra so no one else would be able to open it...well except for Pain of course. She dropped Hidan's body and placed her hand against the door. Sakura wondered why the pervert had been so quiet but when she looked at him, he was unconscious. The loss of blood must have gotten to him. Good thing because if he were awake, he would have complained about her dropping his body like that.

The medic nin poured her chakra into the door and it opened moments later. They entered the room with white walls lining it and Sakura quickly to a survey of her surroundings. The shelf on the right hand side had just about everything she could ever need from needles, disinfectants for injuries, to bandages for wrapping wounds. An operating table on the left side of the room and on the left of the table was a large sink.

She placed Hidan's body on the table and his head next to it. She first moved to the sink where she washed her hands and arms. She grasped a wash cloth that was positioned on the side of it. There were basins underneath it for her to put water in so she filled one up and placed it next to Hidan, pushing the surgical tools aside.

"Itachi, would you please remove Hidan's robe and anything he has on underneath it?" she asked as she dipped the wash cloth in the warm water and began washing his face of the blood that was there.

She was surprised when he silently did as she asked, leaving the immortal man naked in front of her. It didn't bother her at all though. She had seen enough male parts during her work at the hospital to drop the shyness she once had and he wasn't much to look at anyway.

Once she had washed the blood off of him, she walked around the table and looked through the disinfectants, smiling when she saw rubbing alcohol. Sakura decided she would so get him back for biting her in places he shouldn't. He was still unconscious, but he would still respond when he was in pain.

Sakura took another wash cloth from over by the sink and poured some of the green liquid onto it. She pressed it to the cuts on Hidan's face, feeling satisfaction as he moaned in pain although his eyes remained shut. She smirked triumphantly as she did the same things to his other wounds. Once he cried out louder when she cleaned a cut on his upper thigh. She didn't know what that was about since it didn't sound like he was in pain, but sort of like pleasure...

After she cleaned his wounds, the young medical nin noticed most of them had healed on their own; that must be a benefit of his immortality. She turned him on his stomach and placed her hands on his back, surprised to find that his spine was already re-aligned. It was the same thing for his nose and his teeth that she had knocked out had grown back. All that was left was to do was reattach his head. Sakura searched the cabinets over the sink and found what she would need to sew his head back on. She moved over to him, and set to stitching him back together after putting on sterile gloves. She heard him hiss every once in a while as she did so.

It didn't take her long at all to sew him back together and then she placed her hands after removing het gloves on his neck to begin the process of reattaching bone, muscles, veins, and the Carotid artery. She didn't have much to do as his body was already reattaching so she just sped up the process.

She wiped her brow and stood back. He was all in one piece again. Hidan opened his eyes and sat up stretching his neck slightly and smirking at her. "Thanks bitch."

"You're welcome asshole," was her response as she moved to place her items back in their respective places. She then washed her hands and then turned to face him again. "You're Akatsuki robe needs washing as well as what you had underneath it so don't put that back on. It needs to be mended as well."

Hidan stood up stark naked and grasped his things. He looked around. "We're the hell is my scythe?"

"Right wherever you left it," she said, knowing it was lying forgotten the middle of the throne room. "Get the hell out and shower or something. You smell bad."

Hidan chuckled as he walked out. "Don't think you've gotten away that easy pinky." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Oh, by the way, I liked the way you attempted to hurt me."

He left her and Itachi alone. Sakura was dumbfounded. He _liked _being in pain? What kind of nutcase was he? Her thoughts about Hidan faded when she looked over and saw Itachi staring at her. She waited for him to say something and when he didn't, she became uncomfortable underneath his crimson gaze. "What is it Itachi?"

He remained silent, but then said, "You are very good at what you do."

Sakura found herself smiling. It was something to hear her enemy say something nice about her. She then frowned. What was going on with her? Her thoughts about Itachi had gone from hatred, to pity of his illness, to almost fond when he complemented her. She tried to push the whole situation to the back of her mind as she didn't know what to make of it yet and moved over to the door.

"Well I think I'll take a shower now. I feel dirty after dealing with him."

* * *

**That's it guys! We've got some fluffiness going, but I don't want to rush it. Itachi is a serious man so that's why I'm having him kind of thinking hard on things first before admitting anything.**


	8. Should I Get Comfortable?

**I don't have anyone to thank this time, but that's okay! Just posted a long oneshot called Teach Me How to Drive. It is a SasukexSakura and there is a lemon. **

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Naruto sat on top of the Hokage carvings. He was on the Sarutobi's sculpture that was protruding from the hard, rock wall. He ran a hand angrily through his blonde spikes, getting more pissed off by the second. One could almost see flames dancing in his deep blue orbs. Sakura had been gone weeks and he couldn't stand it. He was going crazy with worry for her safety. What were those Akatsuki bastards making Sakura do? He should have been with her that night and this would have never happened. She would still be here with him and they would be looking for Sasuke together. Now their plans for that were shot and he honestly hadn't even really thought much about the young Uchiha since Sakura was kidnapped.

The Jinchuriki jumped to his feet; just sitting and waiting was making him even more irate. He should be out searching for her; he was her best friend after all. Although Sakura was very strong now, she still counted on him. She would always have him to lean on no matter what happened. They had been together since they were thirteen years old and they probably would be good friends until they were old. Naruto planned it that way and both Sasuke and Sakura were in that picture. She was not his wife though, she was Sasuke's in that vision. That was okay because he only wanted her to be happy.

Naruto exhaled as he stood to his feet, the wind rustling his black and orange jacket. He looked over the city that was bathed in the orange light of the evening. He heard Sakura's laughter and saw those viridian green eyes sparkling while her abstract coral hair bounced around her shoulders. He sure felt empty without her by his side. It was the same feeling he got when Sasuke first abandoned them; it was like part of his heart was gone. Naruto would do anything to have his best friend back and fill back part of the gaping hole that was in his soul. He wouldn't rush in like a nutcase which was what he was planning on doing in the first place. That might cause Sakura to get hurt and he didn't know if he could forgive himself if something happened to her because of him. Maybe he was finally growing up a bit since he never considered things before rushing into battle before.

It had only been three days since Temari, Shizune, Chouji, and Shino left for Iwagakure to protect the Fourth and Fifth Jinchurikis from the Akatsuki. Naruto wasn't so sure about the plan. It definitely made so that they were very thin on able Jounin and Chuunin. What if the Akatsuki came and they couldn't get to their teammates in time? What if they...

"No," the future Hokage said strongly. "No one is going to die."

It sounded good and if he were still the child he once was completely, he couldn't say wasn't as he still acted like one sometimes, he would have believed that without any hint of realism. Naruto was older now and he realized that people could die; it was possible although it was sad. He hated that feeling of losing someone close like when the Akatsuki took Gaara. He sobbed for him, not only because Gaara always seemed to have such a bad life, but because he was Gaara's _friend_. He never wanted a friend to die and he didn't want innocents to die either. He would try his hardest to protect them all just like he knew his teammates would.

Only two more days until they found out who the next group was and where they were going. They should hear from the first team soon. Iwagakure was about the same distance away as Konoha was from Suna, but going in a different direction. It was a few days away so they should be just getting there by tomorrow. Naruto calmed his nerves as best he could and knew that he would be leaving soon, basically being bait for the Akatsuki. It was what Sakura would call reverse psychology. He never was book smart, but he at least knew what that meant. The Akatsuki wanted to use Sakura for bait to get to him, but now he was the bait to get to Sakura. He didn't mind that one bit. He would have to face them one day so why not make that day come a little sooner?

"We'll get you back Sakura," Naruto said as he looked off into the horizon. "I promise."

"Um, Naruto?"

He turned to see a girl standing behind him. Her fingers were shyly twiddling around each other and her lilac colored eyes were looking at her shoes. Naruto smiled when he saw her. Now this girl held a place in him different than Sakura. True that he had once crushed hard on her, but it began to fade when he realized just how in love with Sasuke she was and when he finally noticed that this one was interested in him. It had smacked him in the face...literally.

Everyone was down at Ichiraku's just spending time with one another. The teams that were gone on missions had just returned so of course they were famished. They were all just talking and having a good time when he noticed that Hinata was watching him from the farthest chair at the bar style restaurant. She began to blush and looked down quickly. Naruto had been confused about why she blushed and constantly fainted or stuttered around him so he asked her why...loudly and in front of everyone.

The Hyuuga princess of course turned red with embarrassment and began to stutter to where her sentences couldn't be deciphered. Shikamaru shook his head and frowned.

_"Seriously, Naruto," he said as he looked over at him. "Isn't it obvious?"_

_"Isn't what obvious!" Naruto exclaimed. "I guess not since I don't have a damn clue why she's always staring at me and acting all shy!"_

Kakashi-sensei chuckled as he continued to read his book. He knew as well as Gai-sensei who had his arms crossed and a silent smirk on his lips. Asuma stroked his dark beard as he inhaled a drag from his cigarette. All the adults and those who weren't as dense as Naruto and Kiba, who also never realized why she fainted around Naruto, knew what the issue was.

Ino growled at him and stood up, her ice blue eyes flashing irritably. She punched him hard in the face, sending him outside of the small ramen shop. When Naruto realized he had been hit, he stood up quickly.

_"What the hell was that for Ino?" he yelled at the bleach blonde._

_"Because you're so stupid!" she hollered back. "She likes you, you dunce!"_

Of course with her secret out Hinata couldn't handle the attention and passed out only giving Neji, who was of course standing nearby, a few seconds to catch her before she hit the ground. Ever since that day, Naruto found himself looking at Hinata differently. He noticed that she was beautiful; no, she was beyond that. She was also the complete opposite of Sakura in a lot of ways. Sakura had a temper and flew off the handle, hitting whoever it was that annoyed her while Hinata was shy and soft spoken, trying to please everyone. Sakura was selfish, wanting Sasuke pretty much for her own feelings while Hinata stood in the background knowing that her crush liked someone else. They were even opposite when it came to appearances. Sakura had pink hair while Hinata had purple, but the biggest thing he noticed and only had to be hormones kicking in was that Hinata had a much curvier figure than Sakura.

It wasn't because of their differences that he was so attracted to the girl standing in front of him, it was her as a person. Now that they talked more, she was starting to grow a little more confident and she didn't get extremely nervous around him like she used to unless he got too close. He found out that she was sweet, smart, and had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

"Hey," Naruto said smiling at her. "How did you find me?"

She blushed slightly. "It wasn't that hard," she responded, not answering his question.

He took a step forward so they were only a few feet apart. Hinata looked up at him, still twiddling her fingers. "I just wanted to make sure you are okay. I know that Sakura was a very good friend of yours."

"It'll be fine," Naruto answered. "We'll get her back."

Hinata smiled up at him. "I know you can do it Naruto."

That was another thing he liked about Hinata. She had faith in him not because he had the Kyuubi caged inside him, but because she saw his capabilities and his drive to be strong. She was the one who wasn't afraid to be nice to him back when everyone pretty much still looked at him with sideways cautious glances. He suddenly had an urge to kiss her and that's what he did.

Hinata's eyes widened in shock. The dream she had been having since she was a little girl was finally coming true. Too bad it was just too much excitement at once. Naruto looked into his arms to find an unconscious Hyuuga. "Aw, man not again."

* * *

Sakura was in the kitchen fixing dinner. She just had a strange urge to cook today so she decided that she would make something for everyone. She was feeling like Chouji and wanted ribs with lots and lots of barbeque sauce. She wasn't sure what else to make with it though. She was standing in front of the stove in a black t shirt and jean shorts when Deidara walked in. She frowned at him.

Of course they still weren't getting along, but now she was bored of teasing him. If they were going to live together, they might as well be civil at least.

"_You make it sound like you actually live here!" _Inner screamed. "_You won't be here much longer so don't go getting all chummy with these hot rogue ninjas!"_

"You think that bastard is hot!" Sakura exclaimed.

Deidara gave her a funny look as he brushed his yellow locks to his back. "What the hell are you talking about, un?"

Sakura blushed. She couldn't believe she had just spoken to her Inner out loud in front of Deidara of all people. Now he was going to have something else to pick on her about. He had been looking for something, but couldn't really find anything besides her forehead and the cliché idea about her pink hair. She had his gender bending looks, feminine way he took care of his hair, and of course his speech impediment. They argued like brother and sister, but despite that, she didn't really mind his presence anymore. She wouldn't tell him that anytime soon though.

"Nothing," Sakura answered quickly as she continued the task of trying to figure out what to go with it.

Deidara rolled his one visible sky blue eye at her as he went to the fridge poured himself a glass chocolate milk. Sakura thought it was so funny how this terrorist had to have chocolate milk or else he threw a temper tantrum like a five year old who was refused candy by a parent. Sakura was noticing little things that they liked. Kisame loved sea food, which wasn't surprising from his shark like appearance. Tobi loved sweets and it didn't matter if it was candy, cookies, or sweet dangos. Anything would do for him. She had made him something she knew he would like for dessert.

Hidan was big on meat. Sakura didn't think she saw him eat anything but chicken, pork chops, or hamburgers since he had returned. That much protein wasn't healthy and she told him so. The argument ensued and ended with Sakura's fist being smashed into his face. Of course he loved it and Sakura found it so annoying that she couldn't beat him into submission.

Kakuzu didn't care about anything unless it had to do with money. He budgeted everything and was the one collecting funds for the Akatsuki. As soon as he came back the first day she met him, he was gone again the next on a bounty hunt. Pretty much every other day the man was gone to go kill someone for cash. It was pretty creepy, but there was something about him that was off besides his strangely colored eyes. He just had an old feel to him and she also wondered what was underneath his mask. Maybe it was something she didn't want to see so she dropped that thought.

Zetsu was actually pretty nice...when he wasn't hungry. If he was and she was around him, he constantly licked his lips at her and once he actually did attempt to bite her; it was Itachi who stopped him. Zetsu also had an obvious love for plants and foliage. Supposedly he had a greenhouse on the outside of the training grounds, but she didn't dare go there. That was his territory so who knew what he would do if he got her alone. Sakura knew he really wanted to make her his dinner and that was something she couldn't allow.

The only people Sakura didn't know much about was Konan and Pain. She didn't think she ever saw Pain come down to eat, but she sometimes caught Konan getting food to take back with her. It seemed like way too much for one person so she always assumed she was getting some for Pain as well. She found their relationship very sweet although it was never mentioned and not out in the open. It was like they depended on each other in everything and it wasn't like it was questioned if the other would come through or not, it was just known that they would because they cared about one another so much.

Itachi entered the kitchen and Sakura immediately handed him an orange. She noticed his left hand was curled into a ball and he placed the orange on the counter next to him.

"Sakura, give me some water," he said as he put whatever was in his hand into his mouth.

Sakura didn't feel quite alright with whatever that was. There was only one thing he could be taking from the way he threw his head back quickly when the substance entered his mouth: pills. What was the medicine for? She knew he was sick and it wasn't a cold like he tried to tell her it was. She was starting to fear it was more dangerous than he was leading on. Sakura wanted to help him despite all that he had done; curse her medical instincts.

She fixed him a glass of water and handed it to him, concern written across her face as she looked into his Sharingan eyes. Itachi looked back at her as he took the water from her. He turned and drank, then grasped his orange and began to peel it. The kuniochi sighed and turned around to finish dinner. To her surprise, Deidara was making home made mashed potatoes and had mixed vegetables warming on the stove. Her beryl eyes widened in shock.

"I didn't know you could cook Deidara," she said as she turned off the oven when it beeped.

"You didn't ask, yeah," he snapped as he mixed the vegetables, adding salt and pepper. While he waited for the water for the mashed potatoes to start to boil, he went to the fridge and pulled out the butter. He put a few spoonfuls in the large pot of veggies and then put it on the counter. She knew he would need it for the potatoes as well.

"I'm impressed, yeah," Sakura teased as she put on oven mitts and took out the three large slabs of ribs.

"Shut up, un," he growled, but he smiled nonetheless. Sakura moved behind him and removed his hair tie. "What are you doing?"

"I'm putting all your hair into a ponytail," she answered. "I can do without blonde strands in my food thank you very much."

"Whatever," was his response, but he made no move to stop her.

Sakura quickly pulled his hair into a pony tail. "That wasn't so bad now was it?"

He simply rolled his eyes at her and placed the chopped potatoes in the now boiling water. She turned to see Itachi still standing in his place gazing at her. The Leaf kunoichi felt herself starting to blush once more; she had caught him staring at her multiple times recently and he wasn't the type to look away when he got caught. Sakura's heart beat sped up as he continued to look at her.

_What's your issue Haruno?,_ Sakura thought as she turned away from his gaze. _Who cares if he looks at you!_

She knew it was getting deeper than that. When she first arrived, she hated everyone there, but as the time moved on, she realized that they were normal people like her. They ate and slept and trained just like any other ninja, they just had a darker agenda which she still didn't know what it was. She knew that pretty much everyone had their own reason for being in the Akatsuki, but while they fulfilled their own goals, they pushed Pain-sama's ambitions in the process.

"Hey, short stuff!"

Sakura turned around and smiled. "Hey Kisame."

He chuckled as he moved close to her by the stove. His Akatsuki robe was open, exposing the rows of blue muscle that was underneath. His black pants were low on his waist and he was a little grungy. It looked as if he had been training.

"Smells good," he commented. He reached a hand out to the ribs that had just been taken out of the oven, but Sakura smacked it aside.

"You will not be putting your grubby little paws in that," she scolded. "If anything, you need a bath. You smell like sweat and outdoors."

Kisame laughed and gazed down at the much shorter girl. At first Sakura had been intimidated when he did that, but she realized that Kisame was a very playful person. Although when he fought, he held nothing back and came off a little blood thirsty, he really wasn't all that bad. He was her favorite chill buddy. The shark nin suddenly grasped her in a hug and pulled her tightly to his sweaty chest.

"Oh yuck Kisame! That's so gross!" Sakura exclaimed as she wriggled out of his grasp. She began pushing him out of the kitchen and down the hallway towards the large room. "Go shower!"

He continued laughing as he allowed her to push him. "Fine, if it's that bad."

If Kisame was training, she wondered with whom it was with. The person she least wanted to see came inside the kitchen next. "Oi, bitch what are you cooking? Smells good as hell."

Sakura grit her teeth and tried to ignore him as best she could. He wasn't messy so it couldn't have been this annoying, smiling man that was constantly showing off his chest who had been training with Kisame. Couldn't he zip up the damn robe at least once in a while? She went back to Deidara's side watching as he strained the potatoes and she stood on her tip toes to reach the cabinet above the double sink. She pulled out a large mixing bowl and set it next to the blonde then moved over to the refrigerator that was next to Hidan. He was giving her that "I want to ravish you" look. Sakura could already feel he was going to try something. He got off on groping her and her knocking his teeth down his throat...freaking masochist.

Sakura opened the refrigerator and took out some milk and set it next to the butter that was still on the island counter for Deidara. Hidan was behind her in a flash and right hand reached around to grasp her breast. He pressed his lower half into her backside. Sakura counted backwards from ten then said, "Hidan, get off. Now."

"What if I don't want to?" he asked as he leaned down and licked her neck, his hand running down to her stomach then back up to her chest. He ground himself into her butt without any shame from the look he was getting from Deidara and Itachi.

"She doesn't want you, you stupid fuck, yeah," Deidara said as he turned to them. "Can't you understand that much?"

"Shut the hell up you blonde bitch," Hidan responded, not removing himself from Sakura.

She had enough of this. She was going to break every bone in his body, let them heal, and break them all again. She was about to slam him into the nearest wall when he went flying through the hallway he had come through. Hidan had a confused look as he stood up and then smirked at the one who threw him. "So she is your bitch huh Itachi?"

"You will not touch her," he answered calmly.

Hidan chuckled and leaned against the door frame. "Whatever you say. It's not like you can really do anything to me."

The raven-haired man didn't respond. He moved to Sakura's side. "Is dinner ready?"

Sakura turned to see Deidara finishing up the mashed potatoes. "Yeah, you can eat if you like now."

Sakura went over to the ribs and pulled out a large butcher knife from the silver drawer. She sliced the ribs and handed Itachi a plate. She heard him subtly cough and she decided that she had to find out if he was okay. She was worried about him no matter how much she told herself she shouldn't care about what happened to someone like him.

Everyone began fixing themselves something to eat, Hidan only getting ribs and a bit of mashed potatoes. She was about to fuss at him about getting some vegetables, but she knew that would be pointless. Itachi and Hidan sat back at the table while Deidara and Sakura ate at the island counter.

"This is good," Sakura said as she savored the taste of the ribs. She didn't realize that she was such a good cook. The ribs were beyond delicious and the garlic Sakura had sprinkle on them really brought out the flavor and so did the barbeque sauce. She then tasted the mashed potatoes, eyes widening at how soft and addicting they were. "This is _really _good!"

They were smooth, but had a few lumps in it which is what she liked. She didn't like them all creamy like how it was with instant potatoes. They tasted amazing, the perfect amount of butter and salt adding a bit of flavor. He also had added some parsley flakes which brought out the taste even more. Tobi came bounding in the kitchen and the first thing he did was throw his arms around Sakura's shoulders.

"Sakura-chan!"

Sakura giggled as her hands lay on his waist. "You hungry Tobi?"

Hidan frowned. "So you let that stupid fuck touch you?"

"He doesn't try to grope me every time I get close you perverted immortal bastard!" Sakura raged. After that she completely ignored the Jashinist as she smiled at Tobi. She couldn't get his sweet personality out of her system. He was just always so cheerful and she liked that about him. He never seemed upset, even when he got on Deidara's bad side and he blew him to high heaven.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed as he moved over to the food on the counter. "Did Sakura-chan cook all this?"

"No," she answered looking over at Deidara. "Your senpai helped as well."

"Senpai?" Tobi asked incredulously. "But it will explode!"

Sakura laughed as Deidara's face scrunched into a scowl. "I'll show you something that will fucking explode, yeah!"

"No, Deidara-senpai! Tobi is a good boy!" he man in the orange masked exclaimed as he moved behind Sakura. "Don't hurt me!"

Sakura turned and ushered him towards the food. "You'll be fine Tobi and guess what?"

"What is it Sakura-chan?" he asked as he fixed his plate. He went and stood in the corner, which is what he usually did to keep people from seeing his face while he ate.

Sakura moved to the microwave and pulled out a plate of what she had made before the ribs. She placed them next to Tobi.

"Brownies!"

He immediately reached for one and Sakura pulled the plate away. "Eat your food first then you can have a brownie."

"But..."

Sakura gave him a stern look and he nodded his head. She moved back over to her plate and continued eating. Deidara was gazing at her strangely. "What?"

"You act like you're a mom," he answered as he shoveled vegetables into his mouth.

Sakura thought about that; she kind of did didn't she? Making Kisame go shower before eating and telling Tobi he couldn't have a brownie until he finished his dinner, and cooking for them in the first place. She found herself laughing. Her? Mother to the Akatsuki? It sounded so strange because she was supposed to be a prisoner, but they didn't treat her like one. She was free to do pretty much what she wanted except leave of course. This was reminding her of how she spent time with her friends back in Konoha. Sakura could see her friends laughing faces and even the smile of her shishou Tsunade. Sakura lowered her head; she could feel tears coming on. She may seem like she was okay, but she really did miss her friends and her home.

Sakura quickly finished her dinner and put her plate in the sink just as Kisame was returning. He had on a pair of loose black pants and his towel was thrown carelessly over his shoulder. He wasn't wearing his Akatsuki robe so he was completely shirtless. Sakura brushed past him as he entered and he looked at her as she rushed by. Kisame turned back to the men in the kitchen.

"What's the matter with her?"

"I don't fucking know," Hidan said with a mouth full of ribs.

"I told her she was like a mother and she just started acting all strange," Deidara said as he scraped his plate into the garbage and placed it in the sink.

The large man turned to his partner. "Aren't you going to go check on her?"

"Her emotional distress is of no concern to me," he answered as he repeated the actions of Deidara. "I am going to my room."

With that he glided out of the kitchen. He wasn't sure what caused the girl's sudden change in demeanor, but it wasn't his job to console her. He was only told to keep her healthy, that was it. Itachi moved into the large room and down the hallway where the rooms were. He saw Sakura leaning against her room door. She swiped her eyes quickly and looked at him as he approached. His room was two doors on the left and once he reached the door, he poured his chakra into it, watching as it slid upwards.

Just as he was about to enter she called out to him. He turned to look at her. The young girl walked over to him and stopped in front of the calm Uchiha.

"I want to talk to you about something," she said as she locked her arms behind her back. "I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I am not your concern," Itachi answered smoothly.

"That may be true," she answered seriously as she frowned, "but I am the Akatsuki medic right now so I want to do a quick check up on you. I know that you're sick."

Itachi remained silent for a moment and Sakura thought she was going to tell her no, but he entered his room and motioned for her to follow him. Sakura entered, her heart beating faster once more.

* * *

**Sorry for the wait guys! I love youzzz! As you can see, she's starting to become fond of the Akatsuki no matter how hard she tries to fight it. So cute Hinata and Naruto right? Aww adorable.**


	9. Why Did I do That?

**Thank you Of Broken Love, DiizGiirlJess, and Reina Reina for reviewing!**

**Just to let you guys know, I wrote a NarutoxSakura lemon oneshot, and a NelielxNnoitra chapter story from Bleach. **

* * *

Sakura looked around his room as the door closed behind her. His bed was large and rounded, covered in a dark blue comforter and four enormous pillows. Behind it was a shelf, but it was bare. Only a bottle of pills rested on top of it. His closet had Akatsuki robes in it and a black dresser near the door that also had nothing on top. It was quite empty, but it fit his personality. For some reason, it made her more curious about him. There was nothing here that could somewhat show into his personality and that was strange. It was like he was completely hiding himself from everyone and she didn't know or understand why. She wouldn't question him on it though. Sakura knew he wouldn't answer her or would say it was none of her business.

Itachi turned to her, his Sharingan eyes seemed to see right through her as usual. Speaking of the Sharingan, that reminded her of something and she placed her hands on her hips and frowned at him. "I'm really being serious about this Itachi so please don't put me in genjutsu."

He continued to gaze at her silently and she wondered if he was planning to do just that. He was so infuriating; what sick person didn't want to get better? None that she knew. Then again, he wasn't an ordinary person.

"Fine," Itachi answered as he moved to sit on his bed. "Do as you wish."

She nodded and walked over to him. "I need you to lay out flat on the bed alright? I'll need you to take off your robe and shirt if you have one on underneath it."

He stood back up and unzipped his Akatsuki robe, letting it pool around his feet. Sakura felt her heartbeat speed up a bit as he began to undress. It didn't seem to bother him at all, but she was all of a sudden feeling shy. Why _was_ that?

"_It's because he's so gorgeous!" _Inner swooned. "_He may be a killer, but we can overlook that for a moment."_

Sakura wanted to reach inside her mind and strangle that idiot. Of course looks only mattered to her. He was very attractive though... Oh, what was she saying? So what if he was handsome? Her heart belonged to Sasuke and him alone. Sakura frowned when thinking of him didn't evoke any feelings. It was strange because usually when she thought of him, she could see him in her mind and a smile would break across her lips, but not this time. Were her feelings for Sasuke...fading? Now when she thought about it, she hadn't thought about him as often as she usually did. All her thoughts were on Itachi's health, the one who she was supposed to hate. She couldn't understand why she felt that way. To be more specific, the confused girl wasn't really sure what she was feeling in the first place. Sure she was around Itachi a lot and she pretty much had grown accustomed to his presence like she had for most of the Akatsuki, but that still didn't explain the feeling that was welling in her chest as he removed the navy blue shirt he wore underneath, leaving behind a see through mesh material.

Sakura could hear her heartbeat in her ears as his fingers touched the hem of the mesh shirt and began pulling it up. Beryl orbs traced over compact muscle as he raised it over his head and tossed it on the floor next to his robe. As he sat back on the bed and scooted up; the kunoichi was rooted in her spot and her eyes continued to trace over his lean form. He wasn't buff, but his muscles were defined. A long scar went from his chest to the left side of his belly button, showing that he was indeed a shinobi. The "v" that was etched into his sides and leading into his dark blue pants was what really caught her attention. For some reason she had always liked the way it looked and it definitely fit Itachi's form.

"Are you going to just stand there?"

She snapped out of her trance and came over to the left side of the bed just as he laid back. She exhaled and cleared her mind. She needed to focus on the task at hand and not her conflicting emotions. Putting herself in medic mode, she tenderly placed her hands on his chest. Since he was constantly coughing, she wanted to see what was going on there first. She had an idea what the issue was, but she really hoped that wasn't it.

"I'm going to see how your lungs are doing," she informed as her green chakra began to glow around her hands. She closed her eyes and tenderly explored.

_Oh no..._

He had scars on his lungs, most likely caused by tuberculosis or pneumonia in previous years. She asked him if he had either and he informed her that when he was fifteen he had tuberculosis and was on antibiotics for six months to rid himself of it. If that he was telling her was true, then he most likely did have what she thought he did: lung cancer. It explained the coughing up of blood and why he often slept. Fatigue was another symptom. The scars on his lungs made sense as well because that could also happen when one had lung diseases. Her chakra moved deep into the cells of his lungs and she could feel the abnormal cell growth that had already started.

Lung tissue is very sensitive and when it's damaged, the DNA can restructure and start to grow. Since it has been altered from that of normal tissue, it doesn't function the way it should. In fact, it caused more harm than good by blocking air way passages, starting to bleed, or causing a chronic cough just to name a few. Sakura was really worrying now because the damaged cells often metastasized, meaning they would move to other areas of the body and affect other organs as well. She would have to check his liver and brain to see if any damage had been done to them because it could cause cancer to grow in those areas.

Pink brows furrowed as she placed a hand right underneath his left pectoral where the liver was located. She searched and smiled when she found no trace of cancerous cells there. She also placed her palms against his temples to see if there were any cancerous cells in his brain. She breathed a sigh of relief at that too, but decided to check all of his organs just in case.

Itachi studied the young medic as serious look crossed her features. He didn't see her as a girl right now. She was a mature woman who was doing her job thoroughly although the concern he saw in her eyes was slightly confusing. He thought she hated him. Not that he really cared if she did, but the change was unnerving. He tried to convince himself that it was because she was a medic that she couldn't pass up someone who was ill, but then again, he saw the way her cheeks flushed when he removed his shirt. She didn't do that when she stitched up Hidan who had been completely naked at the time. He had also seen the sideways glances she tossed at him when she thought he wasn't looking. What did it mean? He felt a small sensation that he hadn't since he was still living in the Uchiha barracks.

A smiling face flashed into his mind. Dark hair, oceanic colored eyes, a beautiful smile. It had been so long since he thought of _her. _The only lover he ever had. Sure he was only twelve at the time, but he knew that he definitely was interested in her more than any other female he had come in contact with. He was a genius and very mature for his age so he understood what he was feeling. She was sweet, but strong as she also was a wielder of the Sharingan although not as strong as his own of course. They had spent so much time together and he still remembered why she had come to him in the first place. Her skills were not great at first and she was often picked on because of it.

She came to him, asking if he would help her become stronger because she didn't want to be weak anymore. At first he declined, not wanting to get tied up in her affairs, but as the days wore on, she asked him over and over. He still refused and it took him seeing her getting picked on first hand to step in. Two boys surrounded her, calling her names and sometimes hitting her. That angered him especially since the two were weak themselves. As soon as Itachi showed up and ordered them to leave her alone, they went running and never bothered her again. She smiled up at him and that was when he got his first kiss. He of course told her never to do it again, but that didn't stop his mind from lingering on it.

He trained her that entire year and as it was growing close to his thirteenth birthday, he asked how she felt about what happened to the Uchiha clan. He watched with dismay as her face contorted with anger and she said that she wished the rest of Konoha would disappear. He asked her if a war started, would she fight against Konoha and she said yes. On that faithful day that he murdered his clan, she was one of the last because he cared about her. Those he cared about he destroyed last.

That spark was in his chest like what he felt for her those many years ago. There was no way he could be fond of this girl...could there?

"Itachi," she said softly. "You have lung cancer."

"I am aware of that."

She gave him such a soft look. It wasn't of pity, but looked of pure concern. Those viridian eyes of hers seemed to look into him and for some reason he felt vulnerable. He wasn't sure exactly what she was thinking, but it was obvious that she wanted to help. He wouldn't mind if she figured a way to rid him of his cancer for his goal. The longer he lasted, the better.

"There is a tumor," she continued. "I will have to perform surgery to remove it. Luckily it hasn't spread cancerous cells to your other organs. Not yet anyway. It's a good thing that I caught it as this stage. Afterward, I will perform a technique that is also used to remove poisons except the medicine used will be different. It will be painful, but you'll be cured."

He watched her intently as she rambled on about how she could to the surgery tomorrow, but after midnight that night, he couldn't eat or drink anything. His gaze locked on her fingers as she tucked a strand tress of fuchsia behind her ears. Her other hand was still warmly on his stomach. "Sakura."

"The procedure will-hmm?"

He didn't say anything, but simply looked at her. She returned his gaze, curiosity written in her eyes. He felt a shred of his cold exterior dissipate and that was a slight concern. He needed to keep up his act until things were over completely. He had more important things to do than to put up with a fondness for the medic. His dark eyebrows knitted together. So he was admitting he was fond of her? His thoughts were cut off when her hand moved to his chest.

"What is it Itachi?" she asked softly. She could feel his heart beat gently under her hand, the soft rise and fall of his chest almost alluring. Steady and calm was how it felt, which was the opposite of hers. Here was the brother of the boy she loved and had caused so much grief, but she was feeling a bit different about him. She could just let him die of his lung cancer or even speed up the process during "treatment", but she didn't want that. In fact, she didn't want him to die just yet. Maybe because she still didn't know anything about him and she wanted to. She wanted to know why he did the things he did; what his motives were now. Most importantly, she wanted...to kiss him.

Sakura timidly lowered her face closer to his. He made no move to object, only continued watching her as she moved within inches of him. Her mouth hovered over his for a moment, her nerves getting the better of her, but she softly pressed her lips against his in an innocent kiss. She wasn't really sure what to do as she closed her eyes and her other hand reached up to cup his cheek. She was kissing him! The mass murderer of the Uchiha Clan. She pulled away to see his hand fall over the one that was on his chest as he moved to stand up, still holding her hand to him.

There was no sound except the pounding of her heart in her ears. She searched his eyes, still overwhelmed that she had taken the initiative to kiss him. Her cheeks darkened and she looked away, pulling her hand from him. "I want to help you get better Itachi."

He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you."

* * *

Sakura was now looking for Zetsu as much as she didn't want to. She had no way of knowing if he had eaten or not and she didn't want to be around him if he hadn't, but then again, she needed his help with herbs for the mixture to remove any excess cancer cells. She had learned a mind jutsu that put the body in a state of unconsciousness so she would use that to put him to sleep instead of medicine. She had learned the technique from Inoichi Yamanaka, her friend Ino's father. The Jounin was highly skilled in different types of mind jutsu and when he taught her, he was very firm just like Lady Tsunade had been. It was worth the trouble though.

Standing on out on the training grounds, she looked for the strange ninja. He could be hiding anywhere because of that ability to blend himself in with his surroundings. Gazing over the large trees, she had an eerie feeling that he was nearby, just watching her like he often did when she came out here. She guessed wouldn't be so on edge if he wasn't a cannibal.

"Zetsu!" she called. "I need your help with something!"

"_Is that so? _**And what would that be?**"

She stopped herself from jumping when he rose silently from the ground a mere four feet away from her. She gazed up at him, completely dwarfed by the large man. He was definitely menacing, but she thought he was misunderstood as well. The Akatsuki was used to his presence, but he didn't have anyone who he could relate to. He was the only member without a partner. It made sense because he would most likely eat his partner, but still with his looks he must have a hard life.

Sakura looked at him wearily. "Have you eaten already Zetsu?"

"**Yes. **_Quite delicious little morsel he was."_

She tried to ignore the oddity of the conversation and skipped on to why she was really there. He gazed at her through mix matched eyes and his white half smiled. "_So you would like to gather herbs from my greenhouse?"_

She nodded. "I need them for Itachi."

"**Ah yes. It is very obvious that he is ill. **_Follow me._**"**

He held a white hand out to her and she looked at him confused. He explained that he would take them there because he did not want to walk nor did he want her to see the location of his greenhouse. She understood that he was going to do that move-through-any-surface thing. How would she be able to breathe like that?

"_As long as you hold onto me _**you will be able to breathe, but close your eyes.**"

The thought of having to hold onto a cannibal was slightly unnerving, but since he ate already, she would take the chance. Plus this was for Itachi so she had to get what she needed for him. She took his hand and he pulled her flush against his body, sinking through the ground almost before she had enough time to close her eyes. She couldn't believe how fast they were going! She felt like she was on a ride or something with how his movements were. Finally, they stopped.

"Can I open my eyes?"

"**Yes."**

She cracked open a beryl orb and gasped at the lush forestry of the greenhouse. It looked almost like a jungle to her and she wondered how in the world he was able to recognize the different plants. He obviously was very familiar with them to be able to do something like that. It was pretty amazing when she thought about it. She turned to him and smiled. "This is amazing Zetsu."

A look of confusion crossed his face. She guessed he had never been praised for his work before. That was pretty sad, but he definitely deserved it for this. She gave him a list of what she needed and allowed him to gather it for her. He told her that some of the foliage was poisonous and she didn't want to risk getting poisoned. He came back and handed her the bundle of herbs.

"Thank you so much Zetsu now how do I get out of here?"

"_Why the same way you got in."_

His arm was around her waist again and they sank through the floor. When they came back up, they were in the large throne room of the Akatsuki hideout. She was laughing and he looked at her strangely.

"That is so exhilarating," she gushed as she smiled widely, jade orbs sparkling with excitement. "Next time when you've already ate, you should take me for a longer ride."

**"Ride?" **She nodded and he was silent for a moment. As he slipped through the floor, he said, "**Very well."**

She watched him until he disappeared and then began walking towards the library. She needed to get to her medical room and start making preparations for the surgery tomorrow. First the mixture had to be made and she also had to make sure she had the correct instruments for the procedure was well. Once she reached the door, she placed her hand against it and poured her chakra into it. Silently it slid open. As she placed all the all the items on the counter and fixed a bowl of water, she reminisced on the kiss she shared with Itachi. He had acted differently then. Although he still had his cold look, it was still...softer somehow. She honestly was expecting him to disappear into crows, letting her know that he did put her in genjutsu, but since that didn't happen, it definitely was him who she kissed.

"Why the hell _did _I kiss him?" she wondered out loud.

Now things were even more complicated than before. What happened to Sasuke? Didn't she care about him? Of course she did; she cared about his well being...but also that of his brother who he despised so much. That had to be wrong, almost like betrayal to Sasuke, but she couldn't help herself. Her gaze growing serious, she decided that after Itachi recovered from his surgery, they would have to talk about a lot of things including what she wanted to know most about: the Uchiha Massacre.

* * *

Itachi had laid back down after Sakura left, her kiss replaying in his mind. Just what was that for? He momentarily wondered if she was trying to seduce him just to kill him for Sasuke. He pushed that thought away. If she blushed just when he looked at her, he didn't think there was anyway she could try to seduce him. Most likely she was a virgin, not like that was a bad thing as he was one himself. He was only a child when he had his companion and he was far more concerned with the safety of Konoha at the time. Ever since then, he closed himself off to everyone. There had been women who threw themselves at him, but he found it disgusting and killed them if they didn't get the hint to leave him alone. They were mainly attracted because he was dangerous anyway.

Sakura was different though. She had an air of innocence around her and he was also sure that she had given him her first kiss. He had been around her a while now and he knew what things were a big deal to her just from how she acted. That kiss had meant a lot to her and she was probably thinking about it right at that moment. Didn't she have some undying affection for his little brother though?

_Itachi. Come to my room._

He got up obediently and headed towards Leader's room. He had all of them fooled thinking that he really was a criminal who cared nothing about the Uchiha massacre that he had done. That was good though. The less they knew about him the better. The only one who partially knew him was Kisame and that was only on a personality level, a personality he formed after he slaughtered his people.

After arriving, he saw the rest of the Akatsuki members standing in the room as well once he was let in. He wondered what was going on. He would find out soon enough.

"Konoha has started sending ninja to protect the Jinchuriki from us," Pain said, ringed eyes showing nothing. "They just sent a four man squad to Iwagakure to protect the Four and Five-Tailed beasts. It is time to retrieve them, but we will take one at a time. First the Four-tailed Monkey. For this I will send Hidan and Kakuzu."

Itachi expected an outburst from the Jashinist, but none pursued. In fact, he was smiling. Probably because he was thinking of sacrificing the ninjas. That couldn't happen. No harm was to come to Konoha. That was his reason for joining the Akatsuki in the first place: to watch them and make sure they didn't bother the Leaf Village. He loved that village and he still did to this day. That was one thing no one knew about him. That wasn't an issue, the problem was attacking their ninja.

"Tobi doesn't think anyone has to die to get the Jinchuriki," the masked man said. "Tobi thinks they are just trying to keep people safe."

"Shut the hell up Tobi!" Hidan barked as he rubbed his hands together. "I'm looking forward to sacrificing them."

"But they don't have to die," Tobi argued. "If they are spread thin, we can get to the Nine Tails better. I know they would protect him with their life so the fewer that are there, the less lives that have to be taken and the easier it will be. We thought they would come for Sakura, but it seems like they are more interested in keeping the Jinchuriki safe right now. We can keep her because she helps."

Pain looked at him and said, "Very well. Do not kill the Konoha ninjas, but anyone else who gets in the way will die."

He would tell Sakura about it. It was her right to know since she cared about her village as well. Things were starting to move forward now and it wouldn't be long before he was sent on a mission as well. For now, he would just clear his mind and listen to what Leader had to say.

* * *

**So the romance is moving forward! I won't be going as into detail with the surgery because this isn't school, but the information on lung cancer and what exactly she was looking for was definitely needed. Trust me, that was just a vague explanation, it's much more complicated than that lol. I didn't give a name on his lover yet, but I might later. You know, it's so weird that he had a lover, but he killed the Uchiha clan around thirteen years old. He sure doesn't look that age during the flashback series right? I hoped you picked up on what Tobi is doing as well. =]**


	10. What Is This Feeling?

**Thank you DiizGiirlJess and WRose for reviewing.**

**It saddens me that this story isn't as popular as it was the first time I posted it on my old account, but oh well! I will still post.**

* * *

Sakura laid on her bed after getting everything in order for the removal of Itachi's lung cancer and taking a warm bath. Before she left the library, she poured over surgical books just to make sure she had everything and found that she did. Never before had the medic questioned if she was doing something right such as surgery. Removing the residue cancer cells would be just like when she had expelled the Human Puppet Master Sasori's poison from Kankuro although the ingredients for the mixture were different. Sakura would put him to sleep because she remembered how much pain Kankuro had been; however, he would still be in pain when he woke up.

Pulling her comforter over her legs, Sakura turned on her side and brought her hands to her chest gently. What the hell was she going to do? There was something stirring up inside her concerning Itachi. Maybe it was just she felt bad that he had lung cancer and he was going blind, but if you asked the young girl if she cared a few weeks ago, she would have said no very strongly and with colorful language, but now...there was a hint of something. Only a hint; Sakura still hated Itachi for what he did to the Uchiha Clan and to Sasuke. It was just that she couldn't explain the feeling that was starting to well up when thinking of him. Whatever it was, it wasn't acceptable. That man was a traitor and was working with the Akatsuki. They were a danger to her best friend Naruto so she should still hate and loath them; she still had to find a way out of their clutches.

Maybe after Itachi was resting tomorrow once she finished his surgery, Sakura could go out to the training grounds and see how far she could get before someone realized she was gone. If they caught up to her, Sakura would just say she hadn't been paying attention where she was walking. That sounded a little lame so she would figure something out once that moment came.

Sakura turned on her back and closed her eyes as sleep started to come over her like a soft blanket. In her mind the kiss she gave to Itachi played again. Just _why _did she plant one on the man she always said she hated? Sakura couldn't understand what came over her to make her want to give her very first kiss to the traitorous brother of the boy she was supposed to love. If Sasuke found out that she had done such a thing he would be angry. At least she thought he would be...

Speaking of her former teammate, she wondered what he was doing. Most likely he was still with Orochimaru, but how long was he going to stay? Sasuke only wanted more power and that was one thing she silently didn't like about her crush. The fact that he didn't believe he could grow strong enough on his own so he went with the person who killed the Third Hokage made Sakura almost see him as a cheater when it came to power. He took the easy way out instead of working diligently on his jutsus. It seemed like he was in a hurry to destroy Itachi. Sakura understood that he would rather finish off Itachi now than later, but she really wished he would have just stayed. Everyone would have helped him grow stronger and Sakura thought it would have been more of an accomplishment if he could finish off his brother without the assistance of Orochimaru.

Then again the curse mark had been put on Sasuke so she also could see why he sought after the former Sannin. Why not strengthen power you were given? Letting out a sigh at the confusion she felt about Sasuke, Sakura turned onto her stomach to really try and fall asleep. She could sort through her emotions after Itachi's surgery. For now she just needed to get a good night's sleep so she would be ready for the procedure.

"Sakura, I need to speak with you."

Said girl felt her heart began to pound twice as fast, a habit that was starting to annoy her, as she sat up slowly and opened her eyes. Sakura looked over at where the voice came from and there stood Itachi. He just had to show up when she was trying to decipher things didn't he? She guessed she should thank him for helping clear her mind because now it was as blank as a sheet of paper.

Sitting up and swinging her legs over the bed, Sakura gazed at him and said as calmly as possible, "What is it Itachi?"

"Konoha is sending their ninja out to protect the Jinchuriki," Itachi answered monotonously. "A four man squad has been sent out to Iwagakure to protect the Four-Tailed and Five-Tailed beasts. Hidan and Kakuzu have been sent in order to retrieve them."

The blood drained from Sakura's face. Konoha was sending ninja in order to protect the hosts? If they did that, there would be almost no one at their home to protect it. Did they not see how risky that plan was? Sure it gave better hope on keeping the Bijuu containers from being taken by the Akatsuki, but it gave better chance for their shinobi to be murdered, especially since Hidan and Kakuzu were the ones going. Sakura was well aware of Hidan's love for sacrificing people and Kakuzu had an attitude to where she believed he didn't care who he murdered. This was terrible; the last thing she wanted was for her friend to die a meaningless death.

"It looks like they are not looking for you Sakura. Their concern seems to be in trying to keep the tailed beasts out of our grasp."

"I know..." she said quietly."Keeping the village safe is more...more important than finding me right now."

Itachi didn't seem fazed by her sadness. "There is no hope of escape for you."

Sakura stood up, her fists balled angrily at her sides. "I know that Itachi! You don't have to say it! I don't care that they aren't looking for me! I'll...I'll find my own means of escape."

The Uchiha moved to stand in front of her. "You will never escape. Only if we release you will you leave here."

Tears formed in sad green orbs and Sakura attempted to keep them from falling down her face. Sakura completely understood that putting a halt to the Akatsuki's plans was top priority so getting upset because they couldn't stop to come and save her was childish. That didn't stop the burning sensation in her throat and the soft hitch in her breathing. Things were looking a bit bleak now; she had been counting on seeing Naruto, Kakashi-sensei, and Sai bursting through the walls in order to rescue her like the damsel in distress she was. So long ago Sakura thought that she had abandon this role, but it seemed like no matter what she did, she still wasn't strong enough.

Lowering her gaze as the salty drops the saddened girl had been trying to hold back fell down porcelain cheeks and splashed silently against her night shirt. It was starting to look like Sakura would be working for the enemy longer than she hoped. Such despair was rolling through the young girl's being and she struggled with keeping it under control. The last thing she wanted to do was completely abandon hope, but how could she not in a situation that seemed completely hopeless? Her sobs grew louder despite how she tried to force them back. Sakura didn't want to cry in front of Itachi of all people. It made her feel extremely vulnerable and she found herself just waiting for him to insult her.

The former Leaf ninja raised her chin with the tip of his finger. Sakura at first pushed back, not wanting him to see her tear streaked face, but he put more pressure until she just gave up and looked at him. It wasn't that she couldn't get out of his grasp, it was just that all will to fight him had left her the moment she heard such horrible news. Sakura's hand wrapped around his wrist while she continued to try and stop her tears. Through bleary eyes she gazed at the crimson color of the Sharingan.

"It seems as though you are being selfish Sakura," Itachi said calmly. "You're upset because your friends are doing something else instead of coming for you. I did not expect such childish antics from you."

"What do you know!" she snapped at him. "You are a traitor so you don't know how I feel about my friends putting our home before their own wants! I know that Naruto wants to come get me, but he can't! You have no idea what-"

Itachi threw Sakura against the nearest wall and she struggled to gain her breath back as the dark-haired man looked at her. "It is _you _who has no idea. Do not assume that I do not know what things feel like. You do not know what I have gone through in my life so do not guess anything when you know nothing."

There was a slight edge on Itachi's voice that Sakura hadn't ever heard before. What could he possibly mean? True, he was a regular shinobi before he killed all his people, but that didn't mean he understood the meaning of putting the village before everything else. "Then tell me Itachi," Sakura spat after catching her breath. "What is it I don't know?"

For a moment, Itachi did want to spill everything that had happened, but it wasn't because he felt like he needed to talk to someone, it was because he wanted to prove a point. He wanted to show her that he _did _have feelings but just suppressed them; he had cut off all ties to those he cared about so that made less for him to feel. Now here was this ignorant little girl with her annoying pink hair and infuriating green eyes staring back at him, demanding he answer her. Itachi had to answer to _no one. _Who did she think she was expecting him to respond to her the way she wanted?

Sakura watched as Itachi's eyebrows furrowed. So she had angered him, like that was something new. This was the first time that he expressed it on his features though so she must have hit a really sore spot, but what? Was he saying that he knew what she was going through? That wasn't possible...right? He didn't have to kill his entire clan so it's his fault that he had no one now although Sakura didn't think that was what he meant. Her eyes shot open at the realization.

The kunoichi launched herself at Itachi and aimed a punch at his gut. He blocked and she dropped down, sweeping her leg out to trip him. Itachi jumped up and Sakura followed, using the heel of her palm to crack against the underside of his jaw. Sakura was surprised that she managed to hit him, but didn't stop to ponder on it as she advanced again when he landed on his feet close to the bathroom door. She stood in front of him and gazed up at him intently.

"Itachi, there is a lot I don't know about you," she started, her eyes no longer able to meet his, "but I want to learn more about you. Things just don't add up to me. You're hiding something."

"What could I possibly be hiding Sakura?" Itachi questioned.

"The truth behind the Uchiha Massacre."

Itachi had to stop an expression of surprise from coming across his face and giving him away. So this girl was a bright as they said she was. There was no need for her to know what happened, no one needed to know. He chose this life of shame and hatred so he wasn't going to back out now. It was too late anyway...

Sakura moved to wipe the trickle of blood that was at the corner of the rogue ninja's mouth, pausing an inch or two away to see if he would reject the action. When he made no move to stop her, gentle fingers removed the crimson line and once again her curious orbs gazed back up into Sharingan irises. Sakura wasn't sure why she wanted to learn more about Itachi. He was a murderer so why did what he felt matter?

_You're such a hypocrite! _Inner yelled. _Last time I checked your hands aren't exactly free of blood either!_

A hand flew to her mouth at that thought. Sakura _had _killed others in her line of work as a shinobi, but that was different. It was a mission and the people who she had to kill were bad guys.

_So you're trying to justify murder to make it seem like it was alright for you to kill those people? Murder is still murder._

Tears began to well in her eyes once more. Inner was right; if she was going to point fingers at him for murder, she might as well point them at herself as well. Granted she didn't kill her family and never laid a hand on innocent lives. This whole time she had been playing the role of the biggest hypocrite she had ever met. There was still a difference in why each of them killed, but Sakura had no idea why Itachi did what he did.

Itachi watched silently as the Akatsuki prisoner began to cry once more. What was it now that was bothering her? He saw when her eyes widen as if she had realized something and whatever that was made her sad. He had quite enough emotional stress for one day so he decided to leave her to sort out her issues on her own. Without another word, Itachi turned and walked towards the door.

"Wait Itachi."

He paused, hand positioned just above the door handle. It wasn't because Sakura asked him to stop that he didn't proceed, but because of the softness of her voice; it was almost pleading and Itachi found that strange. That bull-headed girl didn't really come off as the type to beg like it seemed she was doing. When he turned he saw Sakura stand up and come to stand in front of him once more. She suddenly wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head against his firm chest. Itachi stiffened, this girl must have wanted him to remove her arms from her body for such an act...then again he couldn't remember the last time someone embraced him like this. He was going to open her mouth to tell her to release him, but the words never came. Instead, a small feeling filtered into his chest as he felt the warmth of her body pressed against his and the salty tears seeping through his robe. Sakura must have trusted him not to hurt her in this moment because her eyes were closed as she started to sob a little louder.

"Itachi I'm sorry."

Sorry for what? He didn't have any idea what she was apologizing for, but he was done with her hugging against him like she was. Itachi's form turned into crows and Sakura did not move when she felt his presence behind her. "I do not know for what you are apologizing," he stated, "so do not bother with it."

The emotional girl turned to face him and her expression was even more depressed than it had been a few moments ago. Itachi reached out and wiped her cheeks. "Stop this crying Sakura. It makes you look weak."

A watery smile moved across said girl's lips as she reached up to swipe her cheeks and eyes with the backs of her hands. Sakura was surprised when she saw a hint of a smile cross Itachi's face before vanishing as quickly as it had emerged.

_Itachi, you will leave with Kisame instead of Hidan and Kakuzu going._

Itachi's face turned blank as he moved past Sakura and to the door.

"Where are you going?"

Itachi looked at her from over his shoulder. "Leader had just informed me that Kisame and I will be going for the Jinchuriki instead of Hidan and Kakuzu. You will have to do this surgery for me when I return."

"When will that be?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know," Itachi answered as he exited the room.

* * *

Temari, Shizune, Chouji, and Shino arrived in Iwagakure where they met with both the Four-Tailed and Five-Tailed hosts Roshi and Han. The Five-Tailed Jinchuriki completely brushed them off saying he needed protection from no one. Apparently it was the Tsuchikage Onoki's idea to agree to the proposal that Konoha made. The hosts themselves did not care for the Leaf and Sand Village ninjas whatsoever. At least Roshi was a bit friendlier than Han. The samurai looking man seemed to completely hate humanity from the way he glared at them from underneath his kasa hat that had to be made of steel.

Han was pretty menacing just from appearance if one just studied the armor that completely covered him. It had to be steam armor from the furnace that could be seen on his back that admitted the toasted air. Temari however didn't find him that intimidating and when he frostily told them to stay out of his way she shot back that if he wanted to be taken by the Akatsuki, that was his issue.

Roshi had been a little more kind when he turned down the help of the ninjas. The older man was curt in his words and didn't smile, but he offered to show them where they would be staying. Temari liked this guy; he just had an air about him that made you like him and his fire red hair also intrigued her as well despite his professional attitude.

"So what do we do since the Jinchuriki don't want our help?" Shino questioned as they walked behind the Tsuchikage and Roshi.

"We complete our mission," Shizune answered. "It is our job to protect them and whether they want our assistance or not doesn't matter. We'll just keep close tabs on them both for now."

They would be staying in the Tsuchikage's tower due to the mission being such a high level one. It was an S rank mission and each of the ninja took it seriously. They would do everything in their power to keep the Akatsuki from getting the hosts and adding more power into their arsenal. Then the shinobi also had to find any clues they could as to where the rogue ninjas were hiding; Sakura had been missing for weeks and there was no telling if she was dead or alive.

After unpacking their belongings, the foreign ninjas joined the Tsuchikage for lunch outside on the balcony. The place around them lived up to the name of the village; it was completely carved out of stone. Even the mountains surrounding the town were made out of rock.

_That must come in handy for defensive purposes, _Temari thought as she studied the small waterfalls that were barely visible because of all the stone.

As tray after tray of food was brought out in put in the table, Chouji seemed to devour them before anyone else had a chance to fix anything. Of course Shino and Shizune weren't surprised, but Temari was downright astounded. She knew he was a big guy so he would eat more, but that was ridiculous.

"You know if you keep eating like that you'll get fa-"

Chouji's eyes narrowed.

"So!" Shizune shouted as she theatrically threw her hands in the air. "Where do Han and Roshi live? If we know we can stay close by them. Shino's insects will be able to let him know of someone who has no business here comes. We should be expecting the Akatsuki any time so we have to be ready."

"Roshi lives in the apartment complex down the road, but Han..." The Tsuchikage stopped to have one of his servants pop a slice of pineapple into his mouth. "He...well you can see that he isn't a people person. He lives on the outskirts of town over there."

Onoki pointed over to a section of mountain next to one of the waterfalls. Temari stood and began gathering food on a plate. Shino, Chouji, and Shizune gave her a questioning look.

"I'll deal with him while you guys watch over Roshi," Temari said as she began walking to the edge of the balcony. She stood up on it as she gazed at them with a smirk. "I think he just needs a little push to become more tolerant of people. I'll contact you on the radio if something happens."

With that Temari jumped from her place on the railing and landed in front of the window of the room she would have been in if she had stayed. The wind princess opened it, grabbing her backpack and hosting it on her shoulders. After closing the window behind her, the sand kunoichi began moving across the town and headed to where she was told the Five-tailed host was located. Temari knew this was not going to be easy. She had a temper and it was obvious this man did as well. Maybe that would be something that would connect them in some way.

It was pretty hot in the Village Hidden in the Rocks, but being from the Sand Village it wasn't so bad. In fact, it was better; at least there was no sand blowing in her eyes like their usually was. Despite that, Temari found herself sweating by the time she reached a small cottage sitting next to the waterfall.

Without pausing for a moment, the confident woman walked towards the house and twisted the knob. Finding that it was unlocked, she let herself in.

"Hey, grumpy ass," she called. "You home? I brought you something to eat."

There was no sign of Han. Temari walked over to the small table that was sitting near the door and placed the large plate on it, taking a piece of baked chicken for herself. It was pretty good, but she liked that the skin was a little crunchy. Well that was to be expected from a village whose whole theme was hard earth.

"What are you doing here?"

Temari turned and continued eating the piece of meat as she sat down on one of the chairs and crossed her legs. "I'm making myself at home, what does it look like?"

Han's light brown eyes narrowed dangerously, only causing the female's mouth to turn up into a wider smile. Han stalked towards her and grasped her by the front of her kimono; well that made her smile fade.

The annoyed woman glared at him through dark green irises. "What's the problem Han? I think it would be best if you release me."

Han grunted in annoyance and hauled her up, tossing her back out of the front door. Temari gracefully landed on her feet and removed her fan from her back, holding it in front of her as the angry male stepped from his home.

"You are not welcome here," he spat. "I told you I do not want your help."

"Well if I could have it my way, I wouldn't be out here attempting to assist your ass," Temari shot back. "What the hell's your deal?"

Han did not answer as he gathered kunai between his knuckles. An irritated sigh escaped her lips as she readied herself for his attack. "Why do we have to fight? We're on the same side here and at this rate; you aren't going to have a house to live in." Han seemed to be weighing his options for a moment and Temari took it as a moment to keep speaking.

"I just came to talk. I know you said you didn't want our help so I won't force you."

The Jinchuriki paused for a moment before slowly putting his weapons away. The kunoichi followed suit as Han turned and walked inside of his home. They both sat down at the table and she tried offering him something from the plate, but Han shook his head silently.

"So what is it you want?"

Temari smiled as she picked up a stick of dango. "Let's just hang out alright? You seem like my kind of guy to be friends with. The loyal type."

Han's eyebrows furrowed again as he turned away from her, armor glittering in the sunlight that was filtering from the open window. It seemed as if the stoic man was a loner; no friends or family. Temari could understand that. If her brother had been an only child, Gaara might not have had anyone either. Life was hard for the Jinchuriki and she sympathized with his hatred.

Temari reached for one of the stone rice cakes. They also were known for their crunchy exterior. She wondered for a moment if they were just cooked too long and that was why it was hard. Well, she couldn't really say anything was bad with how horrible her own cooking was. Pausing right before she took the first bite, Temari noticed Han's eyes staring hard at the rice cake. Chuckling a little, she held it out to him. At first he just looked at it, but after a few moments he tentatively reached out for it. Once the food was in his grasp, he stood and walked outside once more.

"Don't get too comfortable. You will leave after you finish."

The Sand Sibling placed her elbow on the table, leaning her chin in her hand. It was a little comforting how alike Han and her brother were.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed more of the ItachixSakuraness! I'm trying my hardest to draw out their building relationship while revealing a little at time, but it's not as easy as I thought lol.**


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